Ex  HtbrtB 


SEYMOUR  DURST 


When  you  leave,  please  leave  this  hook 

Because  it  has  heen  said 
"Sver'thing  comes  t'  him  who  waits 

Except  a  loaned  hook.'' 


Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2014 


https://archive.org/details/aboardmavisitistOOmark 


THE  WAGONER  SEEKS  HIS  FAMILY. 

See  page  128. 


Aboard  the  Mavis. 


(It  is  told  in  this  Book  how  Five  Boys  and  Five  Girls 
cruise  in  the  Schooner  "Mavis"  about  the  cast  end  of  Long 
Island,  and  how,  in  addition  to  sundry  Good  Times,  they 
learn  somewhat  of  the  Early  History  of  their  Country.) 


By 

Richard  Markkam, 

Author  of  "Around  the  Yule  Log." 


Illustrated. 


New  York: 
Dodd,  Mead,  and  Company \ 

Publishers. 


Copyright,  1880, 
PODD,  MEAD,  &  CO. 


ABOARD  THE  MAVIS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


It  was  a  day  in  early  Sep- 
tember. Beyond  the  fields,  yel- 
low with  the  golden-rod,  or  white 
with  the  tiny  autumn  daisy,  lay 
the  ocean,  more  blue  than  the 


sky  above  it,  while  the  little  Lake  Agawam  seemed  like  a  sap- 
phire in  a  golden  setting.  A  fresh,  crisp  wind  was  rustling  the 
grass,  now  turning  brown  in  the  falling  year ;  and  the  never- 
ceasing  thunder  of  the  surf  on  the  long  stretch  of  beach-sands 
filled  the  air. 

Indoors  about  the  dining-table  were  seated  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Longwood,  and  Tom  and  Carrie.  Tom  had  just  laid  down  his 
fork,  and  was  looking  out  of  the  window  with  an  air  of  forced 
resignation. 

"  And  to  think,"  he  said,  after  a  moment,  "  that  a  fellow 
must  leave  all  this,  day  after  to-morrow,  and  go  back  to  school  !  " 


IO 


TOM  IS  DISCONSOLATE. 


No  one  answered  ;  for,  indeed,  if  all  Tom's  regrets  had  been 
sympathized  with,  some  one  of  the  family  would  have  been  talk- 
ing all  the  time. 

The  arrival  of  the  pudding  seemed  to  revive  his  spirits ;  and 
he  did  not  speak  again  until  it  had  all  vanished  from  his  plate, 
when  he  said  briefly,  — 

"  Sterscuseme  ?  " 

To  this  enigmatical  remark  his  mother  gave  a  pleasant  nod, 
and  Master  Tom  was  quickly  out  of  the  room.  As  he  reached 
the  piazza,  he  cried  out,  "  Hallo  !  there's  Andrew  !  "  and,  seizing 
his  cap,  he  started  down  the  path  to  the  pier,  toward  which  a 
boat  driven  by  the  sturdy  arms  of  a  young  Irishman  was  rapidly 
approaching. 

"  Any  letters  ? "  he  asked,  as  he  seized  the  painter  of  the 
boat,  and  made  it  fast. 

Andrew,  who  was  a  man  of  few  words,  silently  took  off  his 
hat,  and,  producing  therefrom  two  envelopes,  handed  them  over, 
together  with  three  or  four  newspapers,  which  he  fished  out  of 
a  side  pocket. 

"  All  for  papa,"  said  Tom,  looking  at  the  superscriptions  ;  and 
he  set  out  for  the  house,  and  gave  them  to  his  father,  who  was 
still  sitting  at  the  table.  Then  he  was  on  his  way  out  of  doors 
once  more,  when  a  sudden  call  from  his  father,  who  had  broken 
one  of  the  seals,  stopped  him. 

"  Wait  a  moment,  Tom,"  he  said.  "  I  think  this  letter  con- 
cerns you  ;  "  and,  after  reading  it  carefully  through,  he  tossed  it 
over,  and  Tom  picked  it  ud.    This  was  the  letter  :  — 


AN  EPISTLE  FROM  THEOPHILUS  GRINDER. 


MR.  GRINDER'S  SELECT  SCHOOL  FOR  YOUNG  GENTLEMEN. 

PUPILS  FITTED  FOR  COLLEGE   OR   BUSINESS.      THE  MODERN  LANGUAGES 

CAREFULLY  TAUGHT. 

No.  2000  Madison  Avenue,  New-York  City,  Sept.  8,  1879. 

William  Longwood,  Esq.  I 
Dear  Sir,  —  It  is  with  sincere  regret  that  I  am  compelled  to  notify  you  of 
the  postponement  of  the  opening  of  the  autumn  term  of  my  school  from  Sept.  15, 
to  Oct.  1. 

A  defect  in  the  drainage-pipes  of  the  house  having  made  itself  perceived,  I 
have  decided  that  it  was  due  to  the  health  of  my  scholars  to  have  a  thorough 
revision  made  of  the  plumbing  of  the  establishment,  in  order  that  any  suspicion 
of  trouble  might  be  done  away  with.  This  revision  is  in  progress,  and  is  making 
such  headway  that  by  the  1st  of  October,  prox.,  I  hope  to  meet  again  all  my 
young  friends. 

The  delay  is  of  course  detrimental  to  their  interests ;  but  by  home  study  of 
three  or  four  hours  each  day,  until  school  begins,  a  great  portion  of  the  loss  may 
be  made  up.  Your  son  was  about  to  enter  on  Algebra,  Sallust's  Jugurthine  Wars, 
and  Latin  Prose  Composition. 

The  idea  that  I  have  thrown  out  will,  no  doubt,  commend  itself  to  your  judg- 
ment, jnd  I  shall  hope  for  your  hearty  co-operation. 

Yours  with  esteem, 

THEOPHILUS  GRINDER,  M.A. 

Tom  gave  a  wild  shout  of  delight,  and  threw  his  cap  into 
the  air,  deftly  catching  it  as  it  came  down. 

"  Carrie  !  Mamma  !  "  he  shouted,  rushing  into  the  hall,  "  no 
school ! 

Sound  the  loud  timbrel  o'er  Egypt's  dark  sea : 
Grinder's  pipes  are  out  of  order,  his  pupils  are  free  ! " 


"  Tom,"  said  Carrie  with  great  severity,  "  that  is  a  hymn  that 


I  2 


TOM  COMMITS  A  SIN. 


you  are  turning  into  ribald  rhyme,  and  it  is  very  wrong  of 
you." 

"  You  seem  to  have  forgotten,  Master  Tom,"  said  his  father, 
with  a  queer  twinkle  in  his  eye,  as  he  came  into  the  hall,  "  that 
Mr.  Grinder  wishes  you  to  study  Latin  prose  and  algebra  four 
hours  a  day,  and  confidently  relies  on  my  co-operation  in  seeing 
that  you  do  it.  Had  you  not  better  get  your  books  at  once, 
and  begin  ?  " 

Tom's  countenance  fell.  That  part  of  the  letter  had  hardly 
caught  his  eye  at  all. 

"  O  papa !  "  he  said,  "  that  would  be  dreadful." 

His  father  laughed.  "  I  confess,"  he  said,  "  that  a  different 
plan  had  occurred  to  me.  How  would  Carrie  and  you  like  to 
ask  down  some  of  your  friends,  and  all  go  next  week  on  an 
expedition  to  Montauk  ?  " 

There  was  such  a  chorus  of  delighted  shouts  at  this,  that 
Mrs.  Longwood,  who  had  come  to  the  head  of  the  stairs  at 
Tom's  first  call,  deliberately  put  her  hands  over  her  ears,  and 
went  back  to  her  room. 

When  at  last  quiet  was  restored,  Mr.  Longwood  said, — 

"  Well,  to-day  is  Wednesday.  You  will  have  two  hours  in 
which  to  write  the  letters  before  the  mail  closes.  I  am  going  to 
the  village,  and  will  post  them.  They  ought  to  reach  their  des- 
tination to-morrow  early,  and  you  should  have  answers  by  Friday 
noon.  Ask  them  all  to  come  on  Saturday;  and  Monday,  bright 
and  early,  we  will  set  off.    Whom  do  you  intend  to  ask?" 

"We  must  have  Will  and  Charlie  Morgan,"  said  Tom. 

"  And  Rose  and  Kate  Waring."  said  Carrie. 


SOME  LETTERS  ARRIVE. 


13 


"  And  Ned  and  Lou  Grant,  of  course,"  said  Tom. 

"And  Gertrude  and  Jack  Hastings,"  added  Carrie. 

"That  will  be  the  same  party  that  we  had  when  we  kept 
up  our  Yule-tide  festivities,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  and  will  do 
nicely.  Now  off  to  your  letter-writing ;  and  don't  make  any  more 
noise  than  you  can  help,  for  I  want  to  read  my  paper." 

The  letters  were  duly  written  and  posted,  and  Tom  and 
Carrie  were  all  impatience  for  the  time  to  come  when  the 
answers  should  arrive.  Friday  noon  they  were  both  on  hand  at 
the  office  when  the  mail  came  in,  and  watched  with  eagerness 
as  one  letter  after  another  was  thrust  into  their  box.  And  at 
last,  when  the  little  square  window  was  opened  for  delivery, 
Tom  seized  the  handful  of  letters  and  papers  that  were  passed 
to  him ;  and  both  ran  out  together,  where  they  could  examine 
them  free  from  the  curious  eyes  of  the  loungers  in  the  store. 

"  Here  are  two  for  you,  Carrie,  and  two  for  me,"  said  Tom. 
"Hallo!  where  is  papa?  The  dog-cart  was  here  a  moment 
ago." 

"  Perhaps  the  horse  was  restless,  and  he  has  driven  down  the 
road.  Let  us  sit  down  here,  and  read  the  letters,"  said  Carrie, 
tearing  one  open. 

They  proved  highly  satisfactory.  All  wrote  that  they  were 
coming,  but  Gertrude  and  Jack,  and  from  them  there  was  no 
reply.  Tom  turned  over  the  whole  package,  and  even  went 
back  to  see  if  by  chance  any  thing  could  have  been  left  in  the 
box ;  but  there  was  no  trace  of  such  to  be  found. 

"  Perhaps  they  may  have  been  away  from  home,"  said  Carrie  : 
"  but,  unless  they  were  very  far  away,  I  think  we  shall  hear  by 


14 


A  SHORT  STOUT  MAN  IN  A  PEA-JACKET. 


to-morrow ;  for  I  put  '  Haste '  in  big  letters  on  the  envelope, 
and  I  fancy  Mrs.  Hastings  would  open  it.  Where  can  papa 
be?" 

If  they  had  not  been  so  intent  on  watching  for  the  mail,  they 
would  have  noticed  that  Mr.  Longwood  had  driven  on  slowly 
down  the  village  street.  He  had  hardly  passed  the  first  bend  in 
the  road  when  he  noticed  coming  toward  him  a  short,  stout  man, 
with  grizzled  hair  and  beard,  dressed  in  a  pea-jacket,  whose  roll- 
ing gait  at  once  proclaimed  him  a  sailor.  As  he  came  abreast, 
Mr.  Longwood  pulled  up  his  horse  suddenly,  and  said:  — 

"  Why,  it's  Capt.  Jackson  !  " 

"  Ay,  ay,  Mr.  Longwood,  here  I  am,"  said  the  captain. 

"And  where  is  the  schooner?"  asked  Mr.  Longwood;  "and 
how  did  you  get  so  far  from  blue  water  ? " 

"  '  The  Mavis '  is  tied  up  at  the  wharf  in  Sag  Harbor.  You 
see,  my  mate  and  two  of  the  hands  own  an  interest  in  her,  and 
they  both  came  from  this  section,  and  we've  been  a-v'yagin' 
pretty  steadily  for  two  years,  and  they  thought  they'd  come 
down  and  see  their  folks  for  a  couple  of  weeks ;  and  that's  how 
it  is  the  schooner's  tied  up  idle.  What  I'm  to  do  for  two  weeks, 
I  dono ;  for  I  have  neither  chick  nor  child,  and  time  passes 
kind  o'  monotonous  ashore." 

"  Well,  I  suppose,  then,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  that  you 
would  consider  favorably  an  offer  from  me  to  charter  the 
schooner  for  a  week." 

Capt.  Jackson  at  once  became  all  attention,  and  in  ten 
minutes  it  was  arranged.  Mr.  Longwood  was  to  furnish  a  crew 
of  four  men,  —  a  thing  that  he   knew   could   be  easily  done 


AROUSE  YE,  HARDY  MARINERS. 


15 


in  a  place  where  every  other  man  had  been  to  sea ;  and 
Capt.  Jackson  and  the  Mavis  were  to  be  at  his  service  for  a 
week. 

"  We  will  arrange  the  trip  in  this  way,"  Mr.  Longwood  ex- 
plained to  Tom  and  Carrie  that  day  at  dinner :  "  Your  mamma 
and  the  girls  will  drive  to  Montauk,  taking  a  day  and  a  half  to 
reach  the  light-house.  The  rest  of  us  will  sail,  joining  them 
there.  Then  we  can  make  any  further  plans  we  fancy.  Per- 
haps we  might  all  go  on  board  our  craft,  and  make  a  trip  to 
New  London. 

"The  first  thing  to  do  now,  though,  is  to  hunt  up  the  crew 
that  I  have  agreed  to  furnish.  So,  Tom,  if  you  will  go  with 
me,  we  will  start  on  our  search  in  an  hour." 

The  crew  was  easily  obtained.  Thomas  John  Wilsey  from 
North  Sea  was  engaged  as  mate ;  for  he  had  been  to  sea,  and 
was  quite  a  skilful  sailor.  The  man  whom  they  had  met  at 
Shinnecock  Bay  was  to  be  one  of  the  hands,  and  two  other 
sturdy  fellows  were  only  too  glad  to  go. 

The  night's  mail  brought  no  word  from  Gertrude ;  but  the 
next  morning,  when  Carrie  was  in  the  attic  hunting  out  from  an 
old  trunk  something  for  the  trip,  she  heard  some  one  hurrying 
up  the  crooked  stairs ;  and  the  next  minute  one  of  the  maids 
came  panting  toward  her  with  a  yellow  envelope  in  her  hand. 

"  It's  a  telegram,  Miss  Carrie.  Your  papa  told  me  to  take  it 
to  you  as  quickly  as  I  could." 

Carrie  tore  it  open,  and  read:  — 

"  Letter  received.    Hurrah  !    We  are  coming. 

JACK." 


i6 


THE  GUESTS  ARRIVE. 


The  morning  train  brought  Will  and  Charlie,  Rose  and  Kate, 
and  Lou  and  Ned ;  and  it  was  a  merry  and  noisy  party  that 


THE  ARRIVAL  OF  THE  TELEGRAM. 


gathered  about  the  dining-table.  And  in  the  evening  came  Jack 
and  Gertrude.    Jack  could  not  sit  still,  but  jumped  out  when  he 


JACK  COMES  ON  FOOT. 


'7 


came  near,  and  raced  across  the  fields  to  the  house,  beating  by 
several  minutes  the  rumbling  old  stage  that  brought  them. 

And  now  our  party  is  all  together,  and  everv  one  is  wishing 
for  Monday  to  come,  that  they  may  set  out. 


GERTRUDE  COMES  AT  LAST. 


CHAPTER  II. 


Monday  came  at  last.  At  nine 
o'clock,  John,  the  coachman,  brought 
to  the  door  the  great  Concord 
i  wagon,  while  Andrew  followed  with 
j  the  farm-cart  for  the  two  small 
trunks  into  which  all  the  baggage 
teaisg^ilrfffiM8  of  the  land  party  had  been  com- 
pressed. Then  Mrs.  Longwood  and  the  girls  climbed  up  to  their 
seats,  John  drew  up  the  reins,  and  off  they  went  at  a  spank- 
ing pace,  the  boys  giving  them  a  parting  cheer  as  they  turned 
into  the  road,  and  disappeared.  Then  every  boy  rushed  into  the 
house  for  his  own  luggage  ;  for  the  lumbering  stage  that  was  to 
take  them  to  the  station  was  seen  slowly  approaching,  half  visible 
through  the  cloud  of  dust  by  which  it  was  enveloped. 

A  half-hour's  ride  on  the  railway  brought  them  to  Sag  Har- 
bor, where  they  found  Capt.  Jackson  waiting,  his  crew  all  on 
board,  and  every  thing  in  readiness  for  an  immediate  start ;  and, 
only  delaying  while  Mr.  Longwood  made  some  purchases  at  one 
of  the  provision-stores,  they  hurried  aboard,  and  in  ten  minutes 
had  cast  off,  and  were  afloat. 

Long  before  they  had  made  their  way  out  through  the  crooked 


18 


JACK  PROPOUNDS  NAUTICAL  QUESTIONS. 


19 


channel,  into  the  open  water  of  the  Sound,  Jack  had  been  through 
every  part  of  "  The  Mavis."  He  had  surveyed  with  unspoken 
admiration  the  bunks  around  the  little  cabin  where  they  were  to 
sleep  ;  he  had  pulled  at  every  rope,  and  asked  its  name  ;  and 
he  had  propounded  to  Capt.  Jackson  more  questions  on  nautical 
points  than  that  worthy  seaman  had  ever  heard,  even  from  an 
examining  board.  The  other  boys,  too,  had  not  been  idle  ;  so 
that  when  the  black  head  of  the  cook  suddenly  appeared,  an- 
nouncing that  dinner  was  ready,  they  all  discovered  that  they 
were  ravenously  hungry,  and  made  a  rush  for  the  cabin. 
"  Come,  Captain,"  said  Mr.  Longwood. 

"  No,"  said  Capt.  Jackson.  "  I'll  wait  till  we  get  out  of  the 
channel,  into  deep  water,  before  I  take  a  bite." 

"  Well,"  said  Jack,  as  he  paused,  after  a  vigorous  attack  on 
a  sweet-potato,  "  this  is  what  I  call  jolly.  Why,  we  might  be  a 
party  of  bold  navigators  bound  on  exploring  some  unknown  sea, 
—  Columbus  about  to  discover  America,  for  instance." 

"  If  you  want  to  represent  the  discoverer  of  America,"  said 
Mr.  Longwood,  "  you  will  have  to  go  nearly  five  hundred  years 
farther  back  than  Columbus." 

"  Why,  the  question  in  my  geography,"  said  Jack,  "is,  '  Who 
first  discovered  America  ?  '  and  the  answer  is,  '  Christopher  Colum- 
bus, in  1492.'" 

"  Nevertheless,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  it  was  discovered  about 
the  year  1000,  by  a  Northman." 

"What  was  his  name?"  asked  Tom;  "and  how  did  it  come 
about  ?  " 

"Well,  to  make  you  understand  it  clearly,"  said  Mr.  Long- 


20 


THE  SEA-KING  HASTINGS. 


wood,  "  I  shall  have  to  go  back  to  the  year  850,  when  there 
lived  in  Norway  a  king,  Harold  Fairhair.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  strength  of  will  ;  and  he  brought  all  the  independent 
chiefs,  who  had  before  been  subject  to  no  one,  under  his  power. 
But  there  were  many  who  preferred  to  leave  their  country,  rather 
than  submit.  They  flocked  to  the  Orkney,  and  Shetland,  and 
Faroe  Isles,  and  became  Vikings,  or  sea-rovers.  In  their  long- 
ships,  as  the  war-vessels  were  called,  to  distinguish  them  from 
merchantmen,  they  were  the  terror  of  the  world. 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  how  one  Hastings  took  the  city  of  Luna, 
in  Italy  ? 

THE  SACK  OF  LUNA. 

The  guards  on  the  walls  of  Luna, 

As  they  seaward  cast  the  eye, 
See  a  mighty  fleet  of  Vikings 

Clear  cut  against  the  sky. 
'  What,  ho  !  the  town  is  threatened, 

Quick  sound  the  bell's  alarm  ! 
Tis  the  sea-king  Hastings  cometh  : 

Bid  every  freeman  arm.' 

The  dreaded  fleet  draws  nearer, 

Till  each  ship  at  anchor  rides  ; 
But  no  gay-wrought  pennons  flutter, 

No  warriors  crowd  their  sides. 
Instead,  a  pall  of  blackness, 

And  the  death-song  chanted  slow, 
While  two  messengers  in  sable  robes 

To  the  gates  of  the  city  go. 


NAVE  AT  TNEAf  NOW,   YE  SEA-DOGS. 


'  We  come  not  here  in  anger, 

Nor  the  battle-cry  to  sound  ; 
But  we  seek  a  grave  for  our  leader 

In  consecrated  ground. 
And  if  ye,  of  your  courtesie, 

Shall  grant  this  our  request, 
Full  many  a  roll  of  yellow  gold 

Will  we  pay  for  his  spirit's  rest.' 

Next  day  the  corpse  of  the  sea-king, 

In  an  oaken  coffin  lain, 
Is  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  Vikings, 

At  the  head  of  a  goodly  train. 
Full  reverently  they  bear  him, 

To  music's  mournful  sound, 
Before  the  great  high  altar, 

And  in  silence  stand  around. 

Why  shrink  the  priests  in  terror? 

Why  blanch  their  cheeks  with  fear? 
Can  it  be  their  craven  hearts  stand  still, 

At  the  pale  corpse  lying  here? 
Ha  !  the  coffin  bursts  asunder, 

And  the  dead  man  leapeth  out  ; 
Above  his  head  his  good  blade  shines, 

From  his  lips  there  rings  the  shout,  — 

'  Have  at  them  now,  ye  sea-dogs  ! 

Plunder,  and  burn,  and  slay  ! 
Hew  down  these  craven- hearted  priests, 

The  town  is  ours  this  clay  ! 


24 


HAROLD  FATh'HATR  GOES  TO  WAR. 


Fear  not  the  odds  against  us, 

Glory  waits  him  who  falls  : 
For  those  who  live  there's  treasure ; 

For  the  dead  great  Odin's  halls.' 

Down  crash  the  half-burned  rafters, 

On  the  dead  priests  within  ; 
Without,  the  shrieks  of  women 

Above  the  battle's  din. 

So  fell  the  town  of  Luna, 

In  the  days  long  since  gone  by: 
Give  God  true  thanks  that  we  live  at  peace, 

Nor  dread  a  battle-cry. 

"  Well,  the  Vikings  harried  England  and  all  the  Atlantic  coast, 
going,  as  we  have  seen,  into  the  Mediterranean  even  ;  but  the 
land  they  most  loved  to  fall  upon  was  that  from  which  they  had 
been  driven. 

"  Harold  Fairhair  was  not  a  man  to  submit  to  such  treatment ; 
and  no  sooner  had  he  established  his  authority  over  his  own  land 
than  he  fitted  out  a  great  fleet,  and  fell  upon  the  outlying  islands 
with  such  violence,  that  he  broke  the  power  of  the  Vikings  for- 
ever. 

\  "  Those  who  were  left  alive  after  these  bloody  battles,  having 
now  less  than  ever  a  mind  to  be  the  subjects  of  Harold  Fair- 
hair,  turned  their  eyes  to  Iceland  ;  and  such  numbers  went  there, 
that  in  a  few  years  the  habitable  parts  of  the  island  were  thickly 
peopled. 

"  They  were,  as  I  have  said,  a  race  of  warriors.    Their  reli- 


WITH  ODIN  AT  VALHAL. 


25 


gion  made  them  so.  The  hero  who  died  in  battle  went  straight 
to  live  with  Odin,  at  Yalhal.  Here  the  roof  was  made  of  the 
golden  shields  of  heroes ;  and  the  time  passed  in  stirring  feats 
of  arms,  and  in  drinking  great  horns  of  mead.  Thor  was  another 
o-od  :  he  it  was  whose  voice  made  the  thunder.    Ran  was  the 

o 

goddess  of  the  sea ;  and  there  were  other-  gods  and  goddesses 
without  number. 


AN    ICELANDIC  HAKBOR. 


"  The  Vikings  recounted  their  valorous  deeds  in  chants  after 
this  fashion  :  — 

'  Hewed  we  with  the  hanger, 
When  I  young  was ; 
East  in  Eyra's  channel, 
Outpoured  we  blood  for  grim  wolves.' 


26 


THORFINN  THE  SKULLS  PLIT'lER. 


"The  very  names  that  some  of  them  carried  —  such,  for 
instance,  as  '  Thorfinn  the  Skullsplitter  '  —  attested  their  prowess. 

"  It  was  a  wild  land  they  chose  for  their  home  when  they 
were  driven  from  the  Western  Islands  by  Harold.  Great  volca- 
noes belch  forth  in  its  central  portion,  so  that,  for  hundreds  of 
miles,  there  is  not  a  sign  of  plant-life  to  be  found.    At  times 


THE  KlVhR  JUKl'LSA. 


the  gloomy  river  Jokulsa  comes  seaward,  its  swollen  waters  cov- 
ered with  ashes,  while  at  night  it  looks  like  a  river  of  blood,  as 
it  reflects  the  stream  of  flame  shooting  high  in  air  from  some 
crater's  mouth.  Only  near  the  seaboard  is  the  country  habitable. 
"  But  the  Northmen  cared  little  for  its  wildness,  or  for  the 


A   WINTER  NIGHT'S  TALE. 


29 


bleakness  of  its  coast,  and  its  frightful  storms.  Here  Harold 
Fairhair  could  not  reach  them  ;  and  out  of  the  landlocked  fjords, 
or  arms  of  the  sea,  their  long-ships  could  sally  forth,  carrying 
destruction  to  the  enemy.  It  was  one  of  these  men  who  dis- 
covered America. 

"  Eirek  the  Red  had  tired  of  Iceland.  Learning  of  a  new 
country  called  Greenland,  he  had  gone  there  with  his  family  to 
settle.  In  the  long  winter  nights,  as  they  sat  about  the  fires, 
listening  to  the  wild  experiences  of  any  stranger  that  might  have 
claimed  their  hospitality,  they  heard  with  astonishment  the  tale 
of  one  Bjarni.  He  declared  that  once,  driven  by  wild  storms, 
he  had  discovered  land  far  to  the  westward.  The  coast  had 
seemed  bleak  and  unattractive  to  him  ;  and,  the  wind  hauling,  he 
had  left  it  astern,  and  sailed  back  to  Greenland. 

"  Old  Eirek  and  his  son  Leif  were  much  stirred  at  this  story. 
They  decided  that  they  would  buy  Bjarni's  ship,  and  themselves 
hunt  out  this  strange  land.  They  loaded  her  with  all  needed 
provisions,  and  with  a  crew  of  thirty-five  men,  were  just  about 
to  sail,  when  Eirek,  on  his  way  to  embark,  fell  from  his  horse. 
Regarding  this  as  an  ill  omen,  he  decided  to  stay  at  home, 
and  Leif  sailed  without  him. 

"  He  found,  after  a  few  days,  that  Bjarni's  tale  was  true  ;  for 
there  lay  the  land  before  him.  It  was  the  south-eastern  ex- 
tremity of  Newfoundland,  recognizable  to  this  day  by  their  de- 
scription :  '  a  bare,  rugged  plain,  covered  with  broad  flat  rocks.' 
Two  days  more  they  sailed  before  a  north-east  wind  ;  then,  coast- 
ing westward,  they  came,  after  a  little,  to  a  river.  Pleased  with 
the  country,  they  passed  up  the  river,  and  decided  to  winter  on 


3o 


A   TIMBER-LADEN  SHIP. 


its  banks.  With  all  speed  they  built  themselves  huts :  Leifsbuder 
they  called  them.  The  river  furnished  them  the  finest  salmon  ; 
and  the  country  about  so  abounded  in  grapes,  that  they  called  it 
Vinland. 

"  Here,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  taking  down  a  chart  from  a 
rack  above  his  head,  "  this  is  the  spot.  It  is  now  called  the 
Taunton  River." 

"  Why,  it  is  not  very  far  from  where  we  now  are,"  said  Will. 

"  No,"  said  Mr.  Longwood  ;  "  not  more  than  twenty-five 
miles,  as  the  crow  flies. 

"  The  winter  passed  away  quietly  ;  and  in  the  spring  Leif 
loaded  his  vessel  with  timber,  and  his  long  boat  with  dried  grapes, 
and  so  went  home  again." 

"  Was  Leif  the  only  Northman  who  came  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

"  No,  indeed.  Thorvald,  his  brother,  spent  two  or  three  years 
in  Vinland.  He  explored  the  coast  all  about  this  very  region 
where  we  now  are  ;  but  his  love  for  adventure  caused  his  death  ; 
for,  on  one  of  these  voyages  of  investigation,  attacked  by  a  band 
of  Skrsellings  in  canoes,  he  was  slain  by  an  arrow. 

"  Thorstein  too,  a  wealthy  and  powerful  man  of  distinguished 
family,  made  a  journey  to  the  new  world  with  three  ships.  He 
planned  to  form  a  colony.  His  wife  Gudrida  went  with  him  ; 
and  a  son,  Snorri,  was  no  doubt  the  first  Christian  boy  born  in 
America.  For  Leif  and  Thorvald  and  Thorstein  had  all  been 
converted  to  Christianity  a  few  years  before,  and  had  forsaken 
the  worship  of  the  wild  gods  of  the  North. 

"  But  after  three  winters  Thorstein  made  up  his  mind  that 
his  colony  was  a  failure  ;  and  so,  back  he  went  to  Greenland. 


A  SECOND  THORFINN  THE  SKULLSP LITTER. 


33 


He  took  with  him,  as  cargo,  all  the  wood  that  he  could  carry, 
and  sold  it  in  Norway  at  an  enormous  price.  For  a  small  piece 
of  what  was  probably  bird's-eye  maple,  he  received  about  eighty 
dollars. 

"  So  you  see,  Master  Jack,"  said  Mr.  Longvvood,  rising,  "  that 
Columbus  was  not  the  first  man  that  discovered  America,  though 
your  geography  does  say  so." 

The  boys  all  rose  from  the  table,  and  crowded  around  the 
chart,  to  make  out  more  plainly  the  places  Mr.  Longwood  had 
spoken  of.  After  a  little,  Jack  went  up  the  ladder,  to  see  what 
had  been  going  on  while  they  were  at  dinner.  A  moment  after, 
the  others  followed  him. 

When  they  were  in  the  open  air,  they  stopped  an  instant  to 
look  around.  The  deck  seemed  quite  deserted.  Only  Capt. 
Jackson  was  to  be  seen,  standing  at  the  wheel,  now  casting  his 
eyes  aloft  where  the  sails  were  bellied  out  by  the  fresh  wind,  and 
now  ahead,  scanning  the  coast.  All  the  rest  of  the  crew  were 
below,  forward,  where,  in  the  absence  of  any  cargo,  they  had 
hung  up  hammocks. 

"  Where  is  Jack  ?  "  the  boys  said.  "  Jack  !  Jack  !  "  but  there 
was  no  answer. 

"  Oh !  there  he  is,"  said  Will,  looking  at  the  bowsprit,  a  little 
way  out  on  which,  in  a  somewhat  dangerous  position,  Jack  sat 
cross-legged.    "Why  didn't  you  answer  us,  you  bad  boy?" 

"  I  am  not  Jack,"  said  that  youth. 

"  Thorfinn  am  I, 
Skullsplitter  hight. 


34 


MAN  OVERBOARD. 


Many  a  hero, 
I,  with  my  downstroke, 
Hurried  to  Valhal. 
Now,  in  my  long-ship, 
Roam  I  o'er  ocean, 
Ran  defying  "  — 

At  this,  Thorfinn  ceased  abruptly,  and  clutched  convulsively 
at  some  ropes  overhead,  to  recover  the  balance  which  he  had  lost. 
He  failed  to  reach  them,  however ;  and,  after  some  wild  struggles, 
down  he  went,  splash  into  the  water,  into  the  embrace  of  the 
goddess  he  had  been  defying. 

"  Man  overboard  !  "  shouted  Ned,  bawling  down  the  hatch  to 
the  men  below. 

Will  Morgan's  coat  and  shoes  were  off  in  a  twinkling,  and 
he  was  over  the  schooner's  side  after  Jack  ;  but,  quick  as  he  was, 
he  was  hardly  in  the  water  before  Thomas  John,  who,  hearing 
Ned's  shout,  had  run  up  from  below. 

Fortunate  it  was  that  Tom  Longwood  and  the  Morgans  had 
been  brought  up  by  the  sea,  and  knew  just  what  to  do.  At  the 
first  shout,  Capt.  Jackson  had  put  the  helm  hard  down  ;  but, 
before  the  vessel's  head  had  fairly  come  around  into  the  wind, 
Tom  and  Charlie  had  lowered  the  boat,  cast  it  off,  and  were 
pulling  lustily  to  where  Will  and  Thomas  John  were  holding  up 
Jack. 

"  And  a  mighty  good  thing  it  is,"  said  Capt.  Jackson  to  him- 
self, "  that  I  had  that  boat's  tackling  overhauled.  I  am  afraid  it 
wouldn't  have  worked  so  well  a  week  ago." 

The  boat  quickly  made  its  way  to  the  unfortunate  Thorfinn, 


A  HOT  LEMONADE. 


35 


and  the  three  dripping  figures  were  soon  aboard.  Jack  and  Will 
hurried  to  the  cabin,  to  get  rid  of  their  wet  clothes  ;  and  Will 
was  soon  out  again  ;  but  Mr.  Longwood  thought  that  Jack  had 
better  turn  into  one  of  the  berths  for  an  hour  or  so,  to  make 
sure  of  not  taking  cold. 

So,  after  bringing  him  a  glass  of  hot  lemonade,  they  covered 
him  up  with  blankets,  and  left  him,  bidding  him  be  a  good  little 
boy,  and  get  into  no  more  mischief. 


CHAPTER  III. 


CARCELY  had   the  sound   of  the 

boys'  retreating  footsteps  died  away, 
when  Capt.  -Jackson's  burly  form 
appeared.  The  captain,  as  we  have 
said  before,  was  a  man  of  few 
words.  He  nodded  to  Jack,  and, 
seating  himself  at  the  table,  proceeded 
to  do  justice  to  the  food  before  him. 
Jack  watched  with  silent  astonishment 
:T —  the  rapidity  with  which  the  contents  of  the 
dishes  disappeared.  Silence,  however,  was 
not  his  strong  point.  So  he  raised  himself  upon  his  elbow,  and 
proceeded  to  open  conversation. 

"What  is  Montauk,  anyway,  captain?"  he  asked. 
"  Montauk,"  said   Capt.  Jackson,  pausing  with  his  fork  half 
way  to  his  mouth,  "Why,  Montauk  is  —  Montauk;  the  east  end 
of  Long  Island,  you  know." 

"Yes,"  said  Jack;   "but  what  is  it?" 

"Well,"  said  the  captain,  "it's  a  fine  rolling  country;  pas- 
tures a  sight  of  stock.  There  must  be  a  good  many  thousand 
cattle  and  sheep  on  it.    There  used  to  be  a  tribe  of  Indians,. 

36 


AN  INTERRUPTED  WEDDING. 


37 


but  they  are  about  gone.  Hardly  a  dozen  are  lsft  of  them 
all." 

"And  do  the  Indians  own  it?" 

"Oh,  no!"  said  the  captain.  "It  happened  this  way:  Wyan- 
dance  was  the  sachem  of  the  Montauks,  and  all  the  other  tribes 
on  Long  Island  were  subject  to  him.  But  at  Block  Island,  and 
on  the  main  land,  there  was  a  tribe,  the  Narragansetts,  that  was 
more  powerful  still.  Ninigret  was  their  sachem's  name ;  and  he 
made  things  so  uncommonly  hot  for  the  Montauks,  that  they 
hardly  slept  o'  nights.  Why,  at  one  time,  Wyandance's  daughter 
was  gettin'  married,  when  in  walked  the  Narragansetts,  without 
so  much  as  sayin'  '  By  your  leave,'  killed  the  groom  and  half 
the  company,  and  carried  the  bride  off  to  Block  Island. 

"  Well,  one  of  these  war-parties  of  Ninigret's  made  them- 
selves so  very  much  at  home,  that  the  Montauks  concluded  they 
would  go  down  to  Easthampton,  and  see  if  the  settlers  there 
would  not  protect  them.  So  down  they  went :  the  white  men 
let  them  stay,  and  the  Narragansetts  dared  not  attack  them 
there.  The  result  of  it  all  was  a  big  document,  wherein,  for  the 
love  they  bore  their  white  brethren,  they  did  grant  and  convey 
all  Montauk  to  those  white  brethren,  only  reservin'  the  right  to 
hunt  and  fish,  and  live  on  the  land.  The  document  says  that  it 
was  the  Indians'  own  idee  to  make  over  all  the  property;  but  I 
take  notice  that  it  wasn't  in  Indian  handwriting  that  the  deed 
was  made." 

"  I  wish  I  could  get  up,"  said  Jack,  as  the  captain  started  to 
"  Let  me  have  a  look  at  you,"  said  that  worthy.    "  I  am 


38 


CAPTAIN  JACKSON'S  SURGERY. 


somethin'    of  a  doctor.    I  once  performed  a  surgical  operation 
on  one  of  my  men,  —  took  off  a  crushed  finger." 
"  How  did  you  do  it  ? "  asked  Jack. 

"  Hammer  and  chisel,"  said  the  captain  concisely.  "  So,"  he 
went  on,  taking  Jack's  hand,  "  pulse  steady,  skin  cool :  why,  you 
are  all  right !  I'll  speak  to  Mr.  Longwood  when  I  get  on  deck, 
and  have  you  up  in  no  time." 

The  captain  was  as  good  as  his  word  ;  for,  in  a  moment,  Ned 
Grant  shouted  down  to  him,  "Jack!  I  say,  Jack!  get  up!" 

"  Come  down,  and  stay  with  me  while  I  dress,"  called  Jack. 

"  Can't  be  done,"  said  Ned :  "  too  much  going  on  up  here. 
Hurry  up  !  " 

Spurred  by  this,  Jack  hurried  as  never  before ;  and  in  five 
minutes  was  running  across  the  deck  to  join  the  others,  button- 
ing the  last  button  as  he  came. 

He  was  just  in  time  to  see  close  beside  them  a  boat  such  as 
the  fishermen  on  all  the  Long-Island  shore  use  when  the)"  put 
off  through  the  surf  to  draw  the  seine.  Two  men  were  ;n  it. 
One  was  examining  a  lobster-pot,  which  he  had  just  drawn  to 
the  surface,  and  out  of  which  he  was  pulling  a  reluctant  victim  ; 
while  the  other  was  keeping  the  boat's  head  to  the  wind,  for 
the  sea  was  rising  before  a  light  gale,  and  the  spray  every  now 
and  then  dashed  over  her  bow,  sprinkling  them  both  thoroughly. 

"  It  is  wonderful  how  strong  those  boats  are,"  said  Will. 
"They  can  live  in  almost  any  sea. —  Isn't  that  so?"  he  asked, 
turning  to  one  of  the  sailors  who  stood  close  by. 

"  I  know  a  time  when  I  was  mighty  glad  to  get  out  of  one," 
said  the  man. 


/  IV AS  DIGGING  IN  THE  GARDEN. 


41 


"  When  was  it  ?  Tell  us  about  it,"  said  the  boys,  scenting  a 
story,  and  closing  up  about  him.  # 

"  Well,"  said  the  man,  "  it  was  one  May.  I  was  at  my  house 
—  think  I  was  digging  in  the  garden.  Yes,"  he  said  medita- 
tively, stroking  his  chin  ;  "  am  sure  I  was  digging  in  the  garden. 
I  remember  I  was  putting  in  Early-Rose  potatoes.  Most  ex- 
traordinary thing,  the  yield  I  had  with  them  potatoes.  I  never 
yet  saw  their  like." 

"  But  the  boat,"  interrupted  Charlie. 

"  Oh,  yes  !  "  said  the  man.  "  Well,  along  the  road,  coming 
toward  me,  I  saw  that  boy  of  Jared  Wilsey's,  shouting,  '  WJiale ! 
whale  ! '  I  never  knew  a  boy  like  that.  His  tongue  is  hung  in 
the  middle,  and  clatters  at  both  ends  all  day  long.  They  say  he 
even  talks  in  his  sleep.  And  there's  his  father  and  mother,  the 
silentest  people  in  the  whole  town." 

"  And  did  he  see  the  whale  first  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

"  Yes  :  he  seen  her  spouting,  close  in  shore.  So,  down  a 
lot  of  us  ran  ;  and  we  manned  four  boats,  and  after  a  short  chase 
we  killed  her,  about  three  mile  out.  But  no  sooner  was  she 
dead,  than  the  critter  sank.  So  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to 
make  her  fast  to  an  anchor,  and  wait  for  her  to  rise. 

"  The  man  on  the  lookout,  two  days  after,  saw,  at  sunrise, 
that  she  had  risen,  and  was  drifting  eastward,  because  the  anchor- 
rope  was  too  short.  The  others  were  sure  it  was  long  enough  ; 
but  I  knew  'twa'n't  ;  "  and  the  man  shut  his  jaws  with  a  snap,  as 
if  there  were  no  more  to  be  said  on  the  subject,  and  relapsed 
into  silence. 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Will. 


42 


BLOWING  GREAT  GUNS. 


"  Eh  ?  Oh,  yes  !  Two  boats  went  off,  and  they  saw  her  fairly 
anchored,  this  time.  Then  they  started  for  shore,  on  a  double- 
quick,  for  the  fog  shut  in,  and  the  surf  got  up  ;  and  mighty 
thankful  they  were  when  they  were  safely  on  land  again. 

"  Next  day  it  was  blowing  great  guns  from  the  sou'west,  and 
no  boat  could  live.    The  whale  dragged  anchor,  and  went  off 


BRINGING  DOWN  A  BOAT. 


before  the  wind.  We  heard  of  her  near  Easthampton,  and  how 
parties  there  were  going  to  get  her  as  soon  as  the  sea  went 
down.  That  was  more  than  we  could  stand.  Some  one  called  for 
volunteers  ;  and  a  crew  was  made  up.  The  surf  was  tremen- 
dous, and  things  looked  squally  enough.  I  more'n  half  expected 
our  boat  would  be  staved  before  she  got  afloat.    However,  at 


BAREFOOTED,  IN  OUR  SHIRT-SLEEVES. 


43 


last  we  were  off,  with  only  a  wetting.  But  outside  we  found 
the  sea  so  heavy,  that  we  were  afraid  the  boat  would  be  swamped. 
We  were  in  a  sorry  plight,  —  afraid  to  go  ahead,  and  afraid  to 
£0  back.  As  good  luck  would  have  it,  we  seen,  a  mile  or  so 
ahead,  a  schooner  belonging  to  the  Coast  Wrecking  Company. 
We  pulled  for  dear  life,  and  got  aboard,  and  at  last  worried  our 
boat  up  on  to  her  deck.  A  thankful  man  was  I,  when  I  had 
something  thicker  than  inch  plank  under  me." 

"  And  what  became  of  the  whale  ?  "  asked  Tom. 

"  We  borrowed  the  schooner,  and  went  after  her,"  said  the 
man  ;  "  took  her  in  tow,  and  started  back.  But  the  wind  all  at 
once  hauled  to  the  east,  and  blew  a  gale.  Snap  went  the  tow- 
rope,  and  off  went  the  whale  again.  By  this  time  we  had  all 
the  whale  we  wanted,  for  things  looked  ticklish  for  the  schooner. 
We  didn't  dare  risk  her  on  the  coast  any  longer,  so  she  scudded 
before  the  gale  ;  and  next  day  we  turned  up  in  New- York  har- 
bor, barefooted,  in  our  shirt-sleeves,  ninety  miles  irom  home, 
without  a  cent  in  our  pockets.  By  good  luck,  we  had  friends 
there  :  so  we  borrowed  some  money,  and  came  back  by  railroad." 

"  And  did  you  lose  the  whale,  after  all  ?  "  asked  Charlie. 

"  No  :  she  went  ashore,  a  ways  west.  We  cut  her  up,  and 
cleared  nine  hundred  dollars  from  her." 

"  What  land  is  that  ? "  asked  Jack,  as  the  man  turned  away. 
"Is  it  an  island  ?  " 

"  That,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  is  Gardiner's  Island.  W  hen 
Capt.  Kidd  was  roving  the  seas,  chasing  and  burning  every  ill- 
fated  ship  that  he  met,  he  stopped  .at  Gardiner's  Island  on  his 
way  homeward  to  Boston,  after  a  cruise  in  the  Spanish  Main, 


44 


MRS.  GARDINER  ROASTS  A  SUCKING-PIG. 


where  was  the  scene  of  his  chief  exploits.  He  summoned  Gardi- 
ner, and  in  his  presence  buried  a  chest  of  treasure,  telling  him 
that  he  should  hold  him  personally  responsible  for  its  safe  keep- 
ing. Then  he  ordered  Mrs.  Gardiner  to  roast  him  some  sucking- 
pig  for  dinner.    She  must  have  been  an  excellent  cook  ;  for  he 


KIDD  AFTER  A  MERCHANTMAN. 

was  so  pleased  with  the  dish,  that  he  presented  her  with  a  quan- 
tity of  cloth-of-gold,  after  which  he  sailed  away  to  Boston.  His 
treasure  did  him  little  good  though,  for  hardly  had  he  reached 
port  before  he  was  seized." 


GARDIXER  HAS  CHILLS  O'  XIGHTS. 


45 


"  What  became  of  it  ?  "  asked  Will. 

"  Gov.  Bellamont  heard  of  his  having  buried  it  ;  so  he  sent 
commissioners  from  Massachusetts  to  recover  the  spoil.  Gardi- 
ner delivered  it  up,  and  it  was  taken  away ;  but  I  imagine  the 
good  man  had  many  a  chill  at  the  thought  that  perhaps  the  old 
freebooter  might  yet  escape,  and  come  back  to  claim  his  own, 
and  that  he  was  a  happy  man  when  he  heard,  about  two  years 
after,  that  Kidd  had  been  hung  in  chains  at  Execution  Dock,  in 
London." 

"  I  wonder  he  did  not  try  to  keep  it  for  himself,"  said  Ned. 
"  Was  it  very  great  ?  " 

"  Yes  :  there  were  some  thirteen  bags,"  said  Mr.  Longwood. 
"  They  contained  gold  and  silver,  coined,  in  bars,  and  in  dust. 
There  were,  beside,  precious  stones  and  jewels.  It  is  not  pleas- 
ant to  think  of  the  bloody  deeds  by  which  it  was  got  together." 

"  Why,  Jack,"  said  Ned  suddenly,  looking  at  him,  "  how  pale 
you  are  about  the  gills !  I  do  believe  you  are  going  to  be  sea- 
sick." 

"  I  am  not,"  said  Jack  indignantly. 

"  There  certainly  is  a  great  deal  more  motion  than  there  was 
an  hour  or  two  ago,  and  the  wind  is  much  fresher,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood. 

"  The  schooner's  empty,"  said  Capt.  Jackson,  who  had  come 
up  just  at  that  moment.  "  If  she  had  a  cargo  aboard,  she'd  be 
much  steadier.  I  have  an  idea,"  he  went  on,  "  that  a  storm  is 
brewing.  The  barometer  is  falling  fast,  and  I  don't  like  the  looks 
of  things  altogether ;  "  and  he  cast  his  eyes  in  a  weather-wise 
fashion  at  the  sky,  and  then  at  the  horizon.  "  I  shouldn't  won- 
der if  we  had  a  nasty  night." 


46 


THE  MAVTS  IS  DESERTED. 


"  That's  not  a  very  pleasant  prospect,"  said  Mr.  Longwood. 
"  I  con  ;ider  myself  a  fair  sailor  ;  but  I  must  confess  that  I  like 
to  sleep  in  a  bed  that  is  moderately  still." 

"  Well,  there's  nothing  easier  than  to  have  a  quiet  night," 
said  the  captain.  "  We  can  run  into  Fort  Pond  Bay,  and  anchor. 
There's  no  safer  harbor  on  the  coast,  when  the  wind  is  east." 

"  Fort  Pond  Bay,  then,  let  it  be,  by  all  means.  Let  us  look 
at  the  chart  in  the  cabin,  boys,  and  see  just  where  it  is,"  said 
Mr.  Longwood. 

Then  it  was,  when  all  heads  were  bent  over  the  chart,  that  a 
brilliant  idea  came  to  Jack.  "  Why !  House  No.  2,  where  Mrs. 
Longwood  and  the  girls  were  to  spend  the  night,  was  at  Fort 
Pond.  The  island  looks  very  narrow  there,  on  the  chart.  I  don't 
believe  it  can  be  more  than  a  mile  wide.  What  fun  it  would 
be  to  walk  across,  and  surprise  them  !  I  am  going  to  ask  Thomas 
John  about  it." 

Thomas  John  pronounced  the  plan  entirely  feasible  ;  and  so 
it  turned  out,  that  when,  in  the  ofatherincr  dusk,  "  The  Mavis  " 
dropped  her  anchor  in  the  quiet  waters  of  the  bay,  our  party 
made  haste  to  disembark  ;  and  Capt.  Jackson  and  his  men,  while 
they  were  making  all  snug  for  the  night,  saw  them  disappear 
across  the  moors  in  single  file,  Thomas  John  at  their  head  as 
pilot. 

Meantime,  at  House  No.  2,  toward  which  our  friends  were 
striding,  Mrs.  Longwood  and  the  girls  had  arrived,  and  had  just 
finished  their  supper.  They  were  now  all  standing  in  the  little 
porch  facing  the  sea.  It  seemed,  in  the  dim  twilight,  as  if  the 
ocean  which  was  thundering  so  angrily  on  the  sands,  but  a  few 


A  SCENE  AT  TWILIGHT.  47 


hundred  feet  away,  might  suddenly  come  rushing  forward,  and 
sweep  tnem  all  to  destruction. 

As  they  looked  to  the  east,  they  could  catch  the  fitful  gleam 


48 


AN  INDIAN  STORY. 


of  the  spray  that  lined  the  foot  of  the  cliffs  where  the  waves 
were  lashed  to  fur)-.  Far  out  at  sea  glimmered  the  solitary  light 
of  a  passing  vessel  ;  but  over  the  moorlands  all  about  them, 
there  was  nothing  but  the  dull  gray  of  coming  night.  The 
nearest  house  was  four  miles  away. 

"  What  a  dreadfully  lonely  place !  "  said  Gertrude.  "  I  am 
going  into  the  house.  I  should  soon  see  ghosts,  or  Indians,  or 
some  more  horrible  things,  if  I  stayed  out." 

"  You  are  as  bad  as  the  farmer's  lass,"  said  Carrie,  as  they 
all  followed  her.    "Did  you  ever  hear  of  her? 

When  autumn  nights  grow  sharp  and  chill, 

And  cold  white  mists  the  valleys  fill, 

The  farmer's  lass  at  the  window-pane 

Starts  back  in  fright,  yet  peers  again ; 

For  she  sees,  by  the  pale  light  the  moon  doth  yield, 

Red  Indians  crouching  in  the  field. 

'  Injuns,  father  ! '  she  cries,  and  flees 

To  a  refuge  safe  on  her  father's  knees. 

The  farmer's  laugh  rings  loud  and  free ; 

'  Indians  they  are,  in  truth,'  says  he  ; 

'  But  wait  till  once  comes  the  rising  sun, 

And  we'll  take  them  prisoners,  every  one  ; 

We'll  beat  them  with  clubs,  and  we'll  grind  their  bones 

To  the  finest  flour,  through  the  old  millstones ; 

And  we'll  eat  them  smoking  hot,'  laughs  he  ; 

'For  they're  buckwheat  Indians1  that  you  see.'" 


1  For  the  benefit  of  such  of  my  readers  as  are  not  versed  in  farmers'  wrys,  I  wCl  sav 
that  the  sheaves  of  buckwheat  left  standing  in  the  field  are  known  as  "  Injuns.'' 


HUGH !  BIG  IiXJUN! 


49 


As  Carrie  finished  the  last  line,  she  turned  toward  the  door, 
and  gave  a  little  scream  ;  for  there,  apparently,  stood  an  Indian. 
He  had  about  his  shoulders  an  old,  worn  buffalo-robe  loosely 
thrown.  His  face  was  concealed  by  the  robe,  but  through  his 
dishevelled  hair  they  could  see  a  couple  of  arrows  sticking.  From 
this  disreputable  figure  came  a  voice  that  said,  — 

"  You  callee,  he  comee.  Plentee  hungry,  this  fellow.  Hugh  ! 
big  Injun  !  " 

As  for  Gertrude,  at  these  words  she  disappeared  like  a  flash 
through  the  door  that  led  to  the  dining-room  ;  nor  did  she  pause 
in  her  flight  till  she  reached  the  kitchen.  There,  finding  a  man 
calmly  sitting  by  the  fire,  smoking  his  pipe,  I  will  not  say  that, 
like  the  farmer-lass,  she  found  a  refuge  safe  on  his  knees,  but 
she  certainly  did  seize  him  by  the  arm,  and  hold  on  very  tightly. 

Carrie,  on  the  other  hand,  looked  at  the  Indian  for  a  moment, 
and  then,  rushing  forward,  seized  the  buffalo-robe,  and,  dragging 
it  from  his  shoulders,  exclaimed,  — 

"  Jack !  you  wicked  boy,  to  frighten  your  sister !  Where  in 
the  world  did  you  come  from  ?  and  where  are  the  rest  ?  " 

A  shout  of  laughter  from  without  answered  Carrie's  question  ; 
and  the  next  moment  all  were  shaking  hands  together  in  the 
little  sitting-room. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


After  a  little,  when  the 
buffalo-robe,  which  Jack  had 
filched  from  a  wagon  at  the 
stable,  had  been  returned  to  its 
place,  and  a  second  supper  had 
been  hurriedly  prepared,  the  boys 
and  Mr.  Longwood  hastened  to 
the  dining-room,  to  fall  upon  it. 
The  girls  all  followed,  and  sat 
at  the  long  table,  by  way  of 
helping  them  to  the  various 
dishes. 

"  Dear  me !  "  said  Carrie, 
after  a  little,  during  which  there 
had  not  been  a  sound,  except 
of  knives  and  forks:  "this  is 
dreadful.  Not  a  word  has  one 
of  these  boys  spoken  for  five  minutes,  and  Ned  has 
had  four  slices  of  bread  already.  I  know,  for  I 
passed  him  the  plate.  I  feel  as  if  I  were  in  a 
zoological  garden,  tossing  buns  to  a  bear.  Do,  some 
of  you,  tell  us  your  adventures." 


HAUL  THE  KEEL  ABOARD. 


51 


"  Jack  fell  overboard,"  said  Ned  concisely. 

"  What  a  story  !  "  cried  each  of   the  girls.     "  It  isn't  true  ! 
—  Did  he  fall  overboard,  Mr.  Lon^wood  ?  " 
"  He  certainly  did,"  said  that  gentleman. 

"  O  Jack  !  "  they  said  :  "  how  frightened  you  must  have  been  ! 
Wasn't  it  dreadful  ?  " 

"  It  was  an  awful  moment,"  said  that  young  man,  with  his 
mouth  full  of  bread  and  butter.  "  But  above  the  gurgling  of 
the  waters  in  my  ears,  as  I  sank,  I  heard  the  deep  voice  of  Capt. 
Jackson  shouting,  '  Avast !  All  hands  holystone  the  deck,  and 
haul  the  keel  aboard,'  and  then  I  knew  that  I  was  safe." 

"  Nevertheless,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  when  the  laugh  had  died 
out,  "  Master  Jack  had  a  very  narrow  escape  ;  and  I  fear  that, 
had  not  Will  Morgan  and  Thomas  John  come  so  promptly  to  his 
help,  Capt.  Jackson's  command  to  haul  the  keel  aboard  would 
hardly  have  saved  him." 

Jack's  eyes  glistened  as  he  looked  toward  Will  ;  and  I  am 
quite  certain  that  a  very  thankful  heart  beat  under  his  jacket, 
and  that  his  nonsense  was  only  put  on  to  conceal  his  real 
feelings. 

"  It  is  hardly  fair  to  make  us  talk  now,"  said  Charlie.  "  You 
should  tell  us  of  your  exploits.  Begin,  Rose.  What  has  hap- 
pened ?  Did  you  meet  with  any  dragons,  and  did  a  gallant  knight 
deliver  you  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Rose  :  "  there  were  neither  dragons  nor  knights  ; 
and  we  had  a  much  nicer  time  than  if  there  had  been.  We  had 
the  crisp  September  air  overhead,  and  the  rustling  of  the  early 
fallen  leaves  as  we  passed  through  the  woods,  and  every  little 


52 


A  PITCHER  OF  MILK. 


while  we  came  to  a  view  of  the  sea  that  was  enough  to  take 
one's  breath  away.  And  half  of  the  time  some  of  us  were  out 
of  the  wagon,  running  on  ahead,  or  gathering  asters  by  the 
roadside." 


A  WALK  BY  THE  WAY. 


"Oh,  yes!"  broke  in  Lou;  "and  we  stopped  at  the  prettiest 
little  house  ;  and  Carrie  went  in  to  get  us  some  water,  and,  after 
being  gone  about  ten  minutes,  came  out  with  a  great  pitcher  of 
milk.  How  good  it  tasted  !  What  in  the  world  kept  you  so 
long,  Carrie  ?  I  meant  to  ask  at  the  time,  but  the  sight  of  the 
milk  put  it  all  out  of  my  mind." 


A  SAILOR'S  LULLABY. 


53 


"  The  woman  was  singing  a  lullaby  to  her  baby,"  said  Carrie  ; 
"and  I  persuaded  her  to  sing  it  again,  while  I  took  down  the 
words. 

When  waves  are  wild, 
And  the  winds  are  out, 

And,  'mid  the  blinding  spray, 
The  good  ship,  staggering,  leaps  on, 

Where  do  the  sailors  stay? 

High  up  aloft 

On  the  swaying  yards, 

Like  birds  on  an  elm-tree  bough, 
Little  they  heed  the  tossing  sea 

Breaking  about  their  prow. 

When  night  comes  on, 
O'er  the  darkening  sea, 

Like  birds  in  their  wind-tossed  nest, 
Each  in  his  swinging  hammock  lies, 

Rocked  by  the  winds  to  rest. 

"  The  woman  said  that  her  husband  was  a  sailor,"  went  on 
Carrie  ;  "  and  that  he  had  been  away  more  than  a  year  on  a 
whaling-ship  in  the  Arctic  seas.  She  did  not  expect  him  back 
for  another  year.  And,  oh,  papa !  she  had  some  old  blue-and- 
white  cups  and  saucers  on  a  little  shelf,  that  you  would  have 
liked  to  have.  She  said  that  her  father  brought  them  home  from 
China,  many  and  many  a  year  ago.  I  was  so  much  interested 
in  talking  to  her,  that  I  almost  forgot  that  the  others  were  wait- 
ing for  me  outside." 


AN  OLD  DUTCH  CHEST-OF-DRA  WERS. 


"  I  must  look  that  place  up,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  much 
interested. 

"  Papa,  you  must  know,"  said  Tom,  "  is  a  great  collector.  If 
he  can  only  coax  his  way  into  the  attic  of  some  of  these  old 
houses,  he  is  perfectly  happy.    He  is  sure  to  come  home  with  a 


WAITING  FOR  CARRIE. 


curious  pair  of  fire-dogs,  or  perhaps  an  old  Dutch  chest-of- 
drawers,  or  some  old  china.  The  people  all  about  have  come 
to  know  him;  and  they  think  —  well,  not  to  put  too  fine  a 
point  on  it,  they  think  him  a  little  weak  in  his  mind.  And 
then,  some  fancy  that  they  have  only  to  show  him  something 


A  HAUL  OF  J /AW  HA  DEN. 


55 


old,  for  him  to  buy  it.  One  woman  actually  tried  to  sell  him  an 
old  broken-down  iron  caster,  because  it  was  a  hundred  years  old, 
and  another  talked  him  into  buying  a  corset-board." 

"  Ha,  ha  !  "  laughed  Mr.  Longwood  ;  "  but  there  were  a  dozen 
old  Nankeen  cups  and  saucers  in  that  house,  and  I  wanted  to 
get  into  the  old  lady's  good  graces  ;  and  so  I  bought  the  corset- 
board." 

"  What  is  a  corset-board,  pray  ?  "  asked  Gertrude. 

"  In  the  old  days,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood,  "  before  steels  were 
used,  corsets  were  laced  up  behind  ;  and,  to  keep  them  in  shape, 
a  thin  board  of  proper  shape  was  inserted  in  front.  The  one 
Mr.  Longwood  has  is  chased,  and  is  really  quite  elaborate." 

"  I  suppose  you  took  dinner  at  Easthampton,"  said  Charlie. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Kate.  "  It  was  just  after  eleven  when  we 
reached  there.  We  found  that  we  had  quite  two  hours  before 
dinner ;  so,  after  seeing  John  and  Andrew  set  out  for  home,  and 
leaving  all  our  wraps  to  be  put  into  the  stage  that  was  to  bring 
us  on,  we  strolled  down  to  the  beach.  It  was  very  exciting ; 
for  a  school  of  menhaden  were  close  in  shore,  and  the  fishermen 
were  bringing  down  their  boat.  We  watched  them  go  off,  cast 
the  seine,  and  draw  it." 

"Did  they  have  a  good  haul?"  asked  Jack. 

"  Not  very,"  said  Kate  ;  "  for  the  fish  mostly  escaped  through 
a  hole  in  the  net.  The  men  said  that  a  shark  had  been  caught, 
and  had  been  strong  enough  to  break  his  way  through.  They 
spread  the  net  out  on  the  sand  ;  and  the  hole  was  there,  sure 
enough." 

"  Proceed  with  your  narration,"  said  Ned,  as  Kate  paused. 


56 


A  SATANIC  LEGEND. 


"Well,  after  dinner  we  set  out  in  a  stage;  and  our  driver 
was  quite  a  character.  He  told  us  why  there  are  no  stones  on 
Long  Island." 

"  Because  it  is  a  sandbank  washed  up  by  the  ocean,"  inter- 
rupted Jack.    "  I  knew  as  much  as  that." 


OVERHAULING  THF.  NET. 


"  Not  at  all,"  said  Carrie.  "  He  said,  that,  before  the  first 
settlers  came,  Long  Island  was  full  of  great  bowlders.  Connecti- 
cut, however,  had  not  a  stone  in  it,  and  was  a  lovely  country. 


A  SHOWER  OF  STO.VES. 


57 


But  it  belonged  to  the  Devil,  and  was,  in  fact,  his  own  peculiar 
garden.  One  Sunday,  Satan  thought  he  would  visit  his  fair 
domain,  which  he  had  not  seen  for  some  time.  The  first  thing 
that  his  eyes  lighted  on  was  a  Puritan  meeting-house.  He  drew 
near,  to  see  what  it  could  be,  and  heard  the  loud  voice  of  the 
dominie  praying.  Now,  prayer  is  the  one  thing  that  Satan  cannot 
stand.  It  always  puts  him  to  flight.  So  he  clapped  his  hands 
over  his  ears,  and  fled  across  to  Long  Island,  where  he  sat  him 
down  to  think.  But,  the  more  he  thought,  the  more  angry  he 
grew  ;  and  presently  he  worked  himself  up  to  such  a  pitch,  that 
he  seized  all  the  bowlders,  and  hurled  them  across  the  Sound  to 
Connecticut.  And,  if  you  don't  believe  the  story,"  said  Carrie, 
■"  you  can  go  to  Connecticut,  and  see  them." 

"  It  was  a  long  ride  over  the  Napeague  meadows,"  said 
Kate ;  "  and  we  tried  to  get  our  driver  to  tell  us  some  other 
story,  to  shorten  the  way.  For  six  miles  and  more,  the  sand 
was  so  heavy  that  our  horses  could  go  no  faster  than  a  walk.  I 
never  saw  such  a  picture  of  desolation.  Great  wastes  of  drifting 
sand  were  on  one  side,  with  here  and  there  a  peep  at  the  sea 
through  the  dunes,  and,  on  the  other,  long  stretches  of  marshes, 
with  sea-birds  rising  from  them." 

"  You  forget  the  mosquitoes,"  said  Rose  :  "  there  were  mil- 
lions of  them." 

"  I  am  not  likely  to  forget  them  in  a  hurry,"  said  Kate  rue- 
fully. 

"  And  did  not  your  driver  tell  you  any  other  story  ? "  asked 
Mr.  Longwood. 

"No,"  said  Lou.     "The  best  he  could  think   of  was  how 


58 


A  HUNDRED  PI -OVER  IN  ONE  DAY. 


Col.  Somebody-or-other  went  shooting  on  the  Montauk  moors 
last  autumn,  and  bagged  a  hundred  plover  in  a  single  day." 

"  That  certainly  was  a  sad  falling-off,  after  so  brilliant  a  be- 
ginning as  the  bowlder  story,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "There  were 
some  quite  exciting  scenes  all  about  here  in  Revolutionary  days. 


NAPEAGUF.. 


After  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  when  the  defeated  patriot  troops 
had  made  good  their  escape  to  the  mainland,  the  whole  island 
fell  under  the  British  sway.  And  a  great  thing  it  was  for  the 
British,  too,  that  they  did  get  possession  of  it  ;  for  it  was  the 
garden  whence  all  the  provisions  for  the  army  at  New  York 
came.    The  Tories  were  only  too  glad  to  get  high  prices  for  their 


A   WHALE-BOAT  WARFARE. 


59 


cattle  •and  produce  at  the  New- York  market  ;  and,  if  the  unwill- 
ing patriots  did  not  appear,  a  summary  order  from  Sir  Henry 
Clinton,  enforced  by  a  detachment  of  soldiers,  directing  their 
cattle  to  be  brought  in  at  once  for  sale,  under  penalty  of  imme- 
diate seizure,  soon  brought  the  helpless  men  to  terms.  Great 
quantities  of  wood,  too,  were  cut  from  the  Montauk  lands,  and 
carried  off  in  sloops  to  New  York,  for  barracks  and  for  fire- 
wood. 

"  But  the  British  did  not  have  every  thing  their  own  way. 
Of  course,  all  who  had  been  leaders  among;  the  Americans  knew, 
after  that  unfortunate  battle,  that  matters  would  go  hard  with 
them,  if  Sir  Henry  Clinton  once  got  them  in  his  clutches.  So 
they  lost  no  time  in  escaping.  They  took  their  wives  and  their 
children,  and  such  of  their  household  effects  as  they  could  get 
together,  and,  hurrying  them  into  whale-boats,  crossed  the  Sound, 
and  found  a  refuge  in  Connecticut.  And  then  began  a  guerilla 
warfare.  The  farms  of  those  who  fled  were  often  given  to  some 
prominent  Tory,  as  a  reward.  But  few  dared  take  possession 
of  them.  He  who  did,  presently  received  a  notice  to  leave  if 
he  would  save  his  life.  If  he  paid  no  heed  to  the  warning,  he 
was  visited,  some  dark  and  stormy  night,  by  a  party  of  armed 
men.  They  had  crossed  the  Sound  in  whale-boats,  under  the 
leadership,  perhaps,  of  the  former  owner  of  the  lands  ;  and  they 
made  small  matter  of  burning  the  house  over  the  ill-starred 
loyalist's  head. 

"  Many  of  those  who  did  not  take  flight  to  Connecticut  were 
secretly  in  sympathy  with  the  patriots.  They  gave  them  informa- 
tion as  to  the  proper  time  for  armed  parties  to  make  midnight 


6o 


SO,  BOSSY/  SO,  BOSSY/ 


journeys  in  whale-boats  across  the  Sound.  They  even  bought 
goods  in  the  New- York  markets,  which  were  sent  across  to  Con- 
necticut by  these  same  whale-boats,  thus  bringing  substantial  aid 
to  the  patriots. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  there  were  Tories  on  the  mainland,  who 
much  preferred  good  British  gold  pieces  to  the  depreciated  Con- 
tinental money,  and  who  smuggled  their  cattle  across  to  Long 
Island,  where  some  agent  was  sure  to  take  them  off  their  hands 
at  once.  I  remember  a  story  of  two  men  who  tried  to  take  a 
fat  steer  across  in  this  way.  They  tied  him  fast,  so  that  he  could 
not  struggle,  and  laid  him  in  the  bottom  of  a  whale-boat,  and 
then,  starting  out  as  soon  as  darkness  came,  pulled  manfully 
away  for  Long  Island. 

"  All  went  well  till  they  got  half-way  across  ;  and  then  a  rope 
came  unfast,  so  that  the  animal's  hind-legs  were  loosened.  The 
beast  struck  out  so  vigorously,  that  the  man  in  the  stern  had  to 
jump  about  with  the  greatest  activity,  to  prevent  his  back  and 
legs  from  being  broken.  Encouraged  by  this  partial  success,  the 
animal  made  such  play  with  his  horns,  that  the  man  in  the  bow 
lost  no  time  in  scrambling  from  his  seat  also.  In  this  way  they 
passed  the  night  in  the  middle  of  the  Sound,  one  man  in  the 
extreme  bow,  and  one  in  the  extreme  stern,  and  between  them 
an  active  young  steer,  threatening  to  stave  in  the  boat,  and  sink 
them  at  any  moment." 

"  I  think  I  see  them  now,"  said  Jack  ecstatically.  "  '  So, 
bossy !  so,  bossy  !  '  says  one  ;  and  then  he  steps  forward,  to  catch 
an  end  of  the  rope,  when  away  go  the  heels,  and  back  he  scur- 
ries.   What  larks  !  " 


A  SKELETON  STORY. 


6 1 


"  What  was  the  end  of  it  all  ?  "  asked  Will. 

"  A  patriot  cruiser  was  in  sight  at  daylight.  The  men  had 
no  choice  but  to  surrender ;  and  the  unruly  steer  was  speedily 
taken  on  board,  where  the  sailors  highly  praised  his  good  taste 
in  refusing  to  be  eaten  by  the  enemies  of  his  country." 

"  Those  must  have  been  wonderfully  exciting  times,"  said 
Will.  "  What  a  chance  for  a  few  brave  men,  by  some  daring 
deed,  to  gain  a  name  !  " 

'  There  was  one  such  man,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  who  must 
have  had  quite  a  reputation  at  the  time,  though  he  has  long 
since  been  forgotten.  I  noticed,  on  a  shelf  in  the  other  room, 
while  we  were  waiting  for  supper,  a  book  which,  if  it  be  the 
one  I  think  it,  is  made  up  of  extracts  from  the  newspapers  at 
the  time  of  the  Revolution.  Will  you  get  it  for  me,  Carrie, 
please?  It  is  called  'Revolutionary  Incidents  of  Long  Island.' 
Yes,"  said  Mr.  Loncrwood,  as  he  took  the  book  ;  "  it  is  as  I 
thought.  I  will  read  you  a  few  extracts  which  give  you,  as  it 
were,  the  skeleton  of  the  man's  story.  You  can  fill  out  the 
details  from  your  imagination.  Here  is  the  first  mention  I  find 
of  him.    It  is  from  a  patriot  paper  :  — 

'"E.  Dayton,  under  Capt.  John  Clark,  by  order  of  Putnam,  seized,  Apl.  '77, 
a  wagon  &  goods  on  Long  Island,  the  property  of  Oba  Wright,  of  Saybrook.' 

"  The  next  is  from  a  New- York  Tory  paper  :  — 

'"Sunday  night,  10th  inst.  (May,  '78),  2  whale-boats,  7  men  in  each,  came 
to  Blue  Point,  &  took  thence  5  boats  lying  there  with  oysters.  This  party  was 
commanded  by  one  Dayton,  from  Corum,  &  were  all  well  armed.  They  brought 
their  boats  from  the  N.  side  of  the  Island,  and  sent  their  prizes  to  N.  London. 


62 


A  PEDDLER  TURNS  PRIVATEER. 


The  head  of  the  banditti  who  captured  the  five  vessels  thus  loaded  with  lumber 
&  produce,  was  Ebenezer  Dayton,  a  noted  pedler  who  lately  lived  at  Corum.' 

"  The  next  dates  from  New  London,  the  port  to  which  nearly- 
all  prizes  taken  by  the  Americans  were  sent  :  — 

"'New  London,  May  15.  —  Sunday  night  last,  2  boats,  under  the  command 
of  Capt.  Dayton  &  Chester,  with  14  men  in  both,  went  to  L.  I.,  and,  carrying 
one  of  the  boats  across  a  narrow  part  of  the  island  at  S.  Hampton,  they  went 
about  sixty  miles  up  the  S.  side  of  the  island  to  Fire  Island  Inlet,  &  took  pos- 
session of  5  sail  of  coasting  vessels  which  lay  there,  laden  with  lumber,  oysters, 
household  furniture,  dry  goods,  provisions,  &c.  The  prizes  are  all  safe  airived. 
More  might  have  been  brought  off,  could  they  have  manned  them.' 

"  The  records  of  the  Maritime  Court  have  preserved  the  names 
of  these  unfortunate  vessels.  They  were  the  '  Peggy,'  '  Polly,' 
'  George,'  '  Dalancey,'  and  '  Jacob  ; '  and  the  proceeds  of  their 
sale  no  doubt  helped  mightily  to  fill  the  empty  pockets  of  Capt. 
Dayton  and  his  men." 

"  He  would  soon  be  rich,  at  that  rate,"  said  Charlie. 

"  He  did  not  rest  on  his  oars,  at  all  events,"  said  Mr.  Long- 
wood.    "Here  is  a  record  only  a  week  later:  — 

"'New  London,  May  22,  '78. —  Tuesday  night  8  whale-boats  arrived  here, 
taken  by  Dayton,  S.  side  of  L.  L' 

"'New  London,  June  12,  '78. — Capt.  E.  Dayton,  in  an  armed  boat,  carried 
3  prizes  into  N.  Haven,  which  he  took  near  Fire  Island  Inlet.' 

"  Our  privateersman  has  now  got  on  in  the  world,"  said  Mr. 
Long-wood.  "  He  commands  an  armed  vessel,  and  not  a  mere 
whale-boat.  But  he  is  about  to  come  to  grief.  Hear  this,  from 
a  Tory  paper  in  New  York :  — 


" '  Capt.  Eben  Dayton,  in  the  sloop  Ranger,  of  45  men,  6  carriage  guns,  and 
12   swivels,  blunderbusses,  muskets,  hand  grenadoes   (to   throw  on  the  deck  of 


64 


JACK  DRAWS  ON  HIS  IMAGINATION. 


the  vessel  attacked  as  they  run  her  aboard  with  whale-boats),  was  taken  in  South 
Bay  (Nov.  20th,  '78),  by  Capt.  Stout  of  a  N.  Y.  Privateer,  and  brought  to  N.  Y.,, 
Wed.  last.'" 

"  What  a  pity,"  said  Will,  "  that  the  records  are  not  more 
full  !  One  would  like  so  much  to  know  how  he  was  taken ; 
whether  by  surprise,  or  by  overpowering  numbers,  after  a  brave 
fight." 

"  I  am  going  to  imagine,"  said  Jack,  "  that  he  stood  by  his 
guns  till  the  last,  and  that  he  was  picked  up  out  of  the  water 
after  his  ship  went  down.  But  it  is  all  up  with  him  now.  He 
will  be  put  in  one  of  the  sugar-houses  that  were  used  as  prisons 
in  New  York,  for  captured  rebels  ;  and  no  man  can  live  long 
there.  W  hy,  they  had  to  lie  on  a  bare  floor  at  night,  so  close 
together  that  they  were  just  like  sardines  in  a  box.  If  one 
ached  from  his  cramped  position,  he  called  out,  and  the  whole 
line  had  to  turn  over  at  the  same  time.  Good-by,  Capt.  Eben 
Dayton.    That's  the  last  of  you." 

"  Don't  dispose  of  him  in  quite  so  summary  a  manner,"  said 
Mr.  Longwood.    "  Here  is  another  newspaper  extract :  — 

"'Aug.  28,  '79.  —  Aug.  14,  a  party  of  about  20  rebels  made  their  appearance 
at  Comm.    The  well-known  Eben  Dayton  was  at  the  head  of  this  party.' 

"  So  you  see,  Master  Jack,  that  he  certainly  did  not  end  his 
days  as  you  proposed,  for  here  he  is  at  liberty  again.  And  that 
is  all  I  have  been  able  to  find  about  him. 

"  But,  Rose,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  I  broke  right  in,  with  my 
Revolutionary  reminiscences,  on  your  account  of  your  ride  here. 
It  was  very  thoughtless  of  me." 


THE  WILD  KOLLIXG  MOORS. 


65 


"  Oh  !  your  story  was  a  thousand  times  better,"  said  Rose  ; 
"  and  beside,  I  had  nothing  to  say.  Our  driver,  you  remember, 
could  only  tell  about  bagging  plover." 

"  There  was  a  lovely  view  backward,"  said  Lou,  "  as  we  left 
Napeague,  and  climbed  the  highlands.  Below  us,  we  saw  the 
salt  meadows  with  the  sea-birds  flying  over  them,  while  on  one 
side  lay  the  ocean,  and  on  the  other  the  Sound.  We  should 
have  stayed  for  hours,  looking,  if  our  driver  had  not  hurried  us, 
so  as  to  reach  here  before  dark." 


A  LOOK  BACK. 


"  And  the  moors  were  lovely,"  said  Carrie.  "  I  wanted  to 
run  all  the  way.  There  was  not  a  fence  nor  a  stone  ;  only  the 
wild  rolling  moors,  with  thousands  of  cattle  on  them." 

"  And  we  came  on  a  desolate  little  graveyard,"  said  Gertrude, 
"  on  a  hillside  looking  down  on  the  ocean.  Nearly  every  grave 
was  marked  by  a  quantity  of  rough  stones  piled  about  it.  They 


66 


WHERE  SHALL   WE  SLEEP  TO-NIGHT? 


told  us  that  unknown  mariners,  lost  on  the  coast,  were  buried 
there.  How  sad  it  seemed  for  them  to  be  lying  in  their  last 
long  sleep  in  an  unknown  grave,  apart  alike  from  dead  or  living 
friends,  in  these  lonely  solitudes  !  " 

"  By  the  way,"  said  Jack,  after  a  minute,  breaking  in  on  the 
sober  silence  that  had  followed  Gertrude's  words,  "where  are  all 
we  fellows  to  sleep  to-night  ?  This  tiny  house  can  never  hold 
us." 

"That  is  indeed  a  serious  question,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  as 
they  rose  from  the  table  ;  "  and  we  must  give  it  prompt  atten- 
tion." 


CHAPTER  V. 


An  examination  into  the  anatomy  of  the 
house  showed  that  Jack's  assertion  that  they 
could  never  all  find  sleeping-quarters  in  it 
was  true  indeed.  At  first  the  situation  ap- 
peared rather  depressing,  particularly  as  their 
landlady  could  suggest  nothing  other  than  that  the  boys  should 
lie  on  the  sitting-room  floor.  Matters  looked  brighter,  however, 
when  Tom  suggested,  — 

"  Why  not  try  the  barn  ?  " 

The  boys  all  received  this  plan  with  decided  approval  ;  and 
Thomas  John  gave  it  as  his  opinion,  that  a  hay-mow  was  equal 
to  a  spring-mattress  any  day  ;  and  that  decided  the  matter. 

So,  half  an  hour  later,  you  might  have  seen  them  stumbling 
along  the  path  through  the  pitchy  blackness,  which  was  only 
made  more  black  by  the  fitful  glimmer  of  the  lantern  that 
swung  from  Thomas  John's  hand.  What  a  wild  night  it  was 
growing  !  The  clouds  had  come  up  in  great  masses,  so  that  not 
a  star  was  visible.  The  wind  was  blowing  furiously,  threatening 
every  instant  to  put  out  their  light ;  and  the  whole  air  was  dank 
with  spray  from  the  sea,  that  was  lashing  itself  to  fury  on  the 
sands. 

6? 


68 


A  NASTY  NIGHT  AT  SEA. 


"  It  is  a  nasty  night  at  sea,"  said  Will. 

"Yes,"  said  Thomas  John;   "I  am  glad"  — 

The  cause  of  Thomas  John's  gladness,  the  boys  could  only 
guess  ;  for  at  that  moment  he  tripped  over  an  unseen  stone, 
and,  striving  to  recover  his  balance,  pitched  wildly  forward,  and 
disappeared  through  the  barn-door  with  lightning-like  suddenness, 

They  followed,  laughing,  and  looked  about  their  new  bed- 
room. 

"  It  is  going  to  pour  presently,"  said  the  practical  Tom  ;  "  and 
the  building  is  very  old.  The  roof  probably  leaks.  Therefore 
we  shall  fare  better  if  we  pitch  some  hay  down  on  the  floor ; 
for  there  is  a  mow  above  it  which  will  shield  us." 

"  I'll  pitch  it  down,"  said  Thomas  John,  "  in  a  minute. 
"  But,  if  the  rain  does  come,  it  will  drive  through  the  cracks  on 
this  side  of  the  barn,  toward  the  storm,  and  wet  us  thoroughly. 
Here  are  a  hammer  and  some  nails.  Now,  if  we  can  only  find 
some  old  horse-blankets,  you  might  nail  them  up  while  I  pitch 
down  the  hay." 

The  horse-blankets  were  found,  and  nailed  up  ;  the  floor  was 
piled  deep  with  hay  ;  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  boys,  thoroughly 
tired  with  their  long  day's  excitement,  were  so  soundly  asleep 
that  they  never  even  stirred  when  the  expected  rain  did  come 
clattering  and  stamping  on  the  old  roof  above  them,  with  a 
tremendous  uproar. 

It  must  have  been  seven  o'clock  before  any  one  stirred.  The 
horses  in  their  stalls  rose  from  their  sleep,  and,  stretching  their 
heads  over  their  mangers,  took  stolen  mouthfuls  from  the  boys' 
beds,  which  they  munched  with  great  satisfaction.    At  length  the 


THOMAS  JOHN  AWAKES. 


69 


one  near  Thomas  John,  growing  bolder,  decided  to  find  out  for 
himself  why  a  man  was  lying  there  so  quietly,  when,  according 
to  all  equine  experience,  he  should  have  been  moving  about, 
getting  him  his  breakfast.  So  he  stretched  his  moist  nose  as  far 
forward  as  he  could,  and  smelled  all  over  Thomas  John's  face, 
ending  up  with  a  snort  of  astonishment  directly  in  his  ear. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  this  manoeuvre  was  perfectly 
successful,  and  that  Thomas  John  awoke. 

His  rising  awoke  the  rest  ;  and  together  they  shook  the  hay- 
seeds from  their  hair,  and  forced  open  the  great  doors  on  the 
leeward  side  of  the  barn.  The  prospect  was  no  whit  pleasanter 
than  it  had  been  the  ni^ht  before.  The  wind  whistled  and 
shrieked  louder  than  ever,  and  the  rain  came  in  such  blinding 
torrents  that  one  could  not  see  more  than  a  hundred  feet  away. 

"It  is  a  pity  that  we  did  not  bring  our  towels  with  us,"  said 
Ned.  "We  could  have  a  shower-bath  by  simply  putting  our 
heads  out  of  doors." 

"  There  is  a  great  tub  standing  under  the  spout  from  the 
roof,"  said  Will.  "  No  one  can  see  us  here  ;  and  I,  for  one, 
vote  for  a  bath.  We  can  get  our  towels  from  the  house  ;  and 
we'll  feel  better  for  it  all  day." 

Thomas  John,  who  had  been  rummaging  about  the  dark 
corners  of  the  barn,  hereupon  appeared,  attired  in  a  yellow  tar- 
paulin suit  which  he  had  found  hanging  on  a  peg,  and  volun- 
teered to  bring  from  the  house  any  toilet-articles  they  wished. 

"  Find  out  when  breakfast  will  be  ready,"  called  the  boys 
after  him,  "  and  how  all  our  party  are." 

Thomas  John  speedily  re-appeared,  and  the  ablutions  in  the 


70 


A  STARTLING  QUESTION. 


big  tub  under  the  sheltered  side  of  the  barn  began.  The  storm, 
he  told  them,  as  they  rubbed  themselves  down  and  dressed  about 
him,  was  tremendous.  The  wind  was  terrific.  It  had  seized  him 
in  an  unguarded  moment,  and  flattened  him  out  so  vigorously 
against  the  side  of  the  house,  that,  if  a  lull  had  not  come,  he 
thought  he  should  have  been  spread,  like  butter  on  bread,  all 
over  the  side  of  the  building.  "  Like  that  sheepskin  there,"  he 
added,  pointing  to  one  nailed  on  the  barn-door. 

After  breakfast,  their  situation  came  up  for  discussion. 

'  1  think  we  had  much  better  sit  at  the  table  all  day,"  said 
Jack  disconsolately.  "  There  are  so  many  of  us,  that,  if  we  get 
up,  the  room  will  not  hold  us." 

"Why  not  all  go  out  to  the  barn  again?"  said  Mr.  Long-  _ 
-wood.    "  The  great  floor  is  dry,  you  say,  and  we  can  find  room 
there." 

So,  wrapped  in  all  manner  of  strange  waterproof  garments, 
Mrs.  Longwood  and  the  girls  were  safely  escorted  out.  They 
found  Thomas  John  and  the  cattle-keeper  sitting  on  a  box,  both 
whittling  away  for  dear  life.  Jack,  as  usual,  began  the  conversa- 
tion ;  and,  as  usual,  his  question  to  the  cattle-keeper  was  a 
startling  one. 

"  Do  any  corpses  ever  come  ashore  here  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  What  a  question,  Jack  !  "  said  Carrie.  "  Of  course  not  ! 
Where  could  they  come  from  ? " 

"  Shipwrecks  at  sea,"  said  Jack.  "  Do  they,  Mr.  Cattle- 
keeper  ?  " 

"  Fourteen  came  ashore  ri^ht  in  front  of  the  house,  in  a 
single  morning,"  said  the  man.      "  It  was   after  the  wreck  of 


AN  UNLUCKY  SHIP. 


71 


'  The  Circassian.'  That  was  a  dreadful  time.  Twenty-eight  lives 
were  lost.  The  ship  was  wrecked  at  Bridgehampton,  more  than 
twenty  miles  west,  and  the  bodies  were  brought  here  by  the 
current." 

"  Tell  us  about  it,"  said  the  boys,  while  the  girls  drew  into 
the  circle,  though  with  rather  disquieted  faces. 

"  Oh !  I  am  no  story-teller,"  said  the  cattle-keeper.  "  And, 
beside,  I  know  of  it  only  by  hearsay.  Mr.  Longwood  knows 
far  more  than  I  do,  no  doubt." 

So  Mr.  Longwood  was  urged  to  tell  the  story,  and  began,  — 

"  '  The  Circassian  '  went  ashore  on  the  bar  close  to  the  life- 
saving  station  at  Bridgehampton." 

"  Was  she  a  steamer  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

"  No  ;  though  she  had  been  originally.  During  the  Rebellion 
she  was  a  blockade-runner.  She  was  an  unlucky  ship,  from  the 
first.  She  was  captured  by  a  man-of-war,  at  the  outset  of  her 
unlawful  career.  After  being  sold  as  a  prize,  she  went  ashore 
twice  ;  but  each  time  the  wrecking  companies  brought  her  off. 
At  last  she  was  bought  by  some  Englishmen,  who  changed  her 
to  a  sailing-ship.  It  was  her  first  voyage  as  a  sailing-ship,  and 
when  on  her  way  to  New  York,  that  she  went  ashore." 

"  Was  she  a  large  ship?"  asked  Will. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  She  was  nearly  three  hundred 
feet  long,  if  I  remember  rightly.  Her  size  was  against  her,  in 
one  way ;  for  she  drew  twenty  feet,  and  grounded  four  hundred 
yards  from  shore,  where  no  ball  from  a  mortar  could  reach  her." 

"  Howr  dc  you  mean,  about  a  ball  from  a  mortar  ? "  asked 
Rose. 


72 


MR.  LONG  WOOD  EXPLAINS. 


"  Every  life-saving  station  is  furnished  with  a  small  mortar, 
or  cannon,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  When  a  ship  goes  ashore, 
and  the  surf  is  so  heavy  that  a  boat  cannot  be  launched,  the 
mortar,  which  is  pa:ked  in  a  two-wheeled  car,  is  dragged  down 
to  the  very  edge  of  the  surf.  Then  it  is  loaded  with  a  conical 
shot,  to  which  a  very  light  but  very  strong  rope  is  fastened.  It 


CARRYING  A  LINE  ABOARD,  THE  NEW  WAY. 


is,  perhaps,  more  like  a  cord  than  a  rope.  This  cord  is  coiled 
by  the  side  of  the  cannon,  and  when  all  is  ready  the  gun  is  fired. 
The  ball  flies  through  the  air  over  the  ship,  if  all  goes  well,  and 
the  line  drops  on  the  deck." 

"  But  how  does  having  a  line  to  the  ship  help  matters  ? " 
asked  Kate. 


THE  BREECHES  BUOY. 


73 


"  The  men  on  the  vessel  hai 
the  life-crew  have  made  fast  a 
much  heavier  one,  so  that  soon 
there  is  quite  a  strong  cable 
from  the  wreck  to  the  shore. 
A  board,  on  which  is  painted 
directions  in  several  languages, 
has  been  tied  to  the  rope,  and 
hauled  in  with  it  ;  and  from  this 
the  crew  learn  that  they  are  to 
carry  their  end  of  the  cable 
high  up  the  mast,  and  make  it 
fast  there.  On  the  cable  thus 
stretched,  runs,  on  a  pulley,  a 
sort  of  seat,  called  the  breeches 
buoy,  which  is  dragged  back  and 
forth  between  ship  and  shore, 
by  guide-ropes  ;  and  in  this  the 
wrecked  crew  are  brought  safely 
to  land." 

"  They  must  get  a  precious 
ducking,  if  the  rope  sags,"  said 
Jack. 

"  I  dare  say  they  often  do," 
said  Mr.  Longwood  ;  "  but  com- 
ing ashore  wet  is  better  than 
drowning  on  the  bar." 

"  What  a  vast  advance  the 


in  the  line,  to  the  end  of  which 


THE  BREECHES  BUOY. 


se  of  the  mortar  is,"  said  Mrs. 


74 


THOMAS  JOHN  COMES  TO  THE  FORE. 


Longwood,  "  over  the  times  when  the  only  way  to  get  a  line  to 
a  ship  was  by  means  of  some  brave  fellow,  who  tied  the  rope 
about  him,  and  swam  out  to  the  vessel  in  distress,  in  most  cases 
at  the  risk,  if  not  loss,  of  his  life  !  " 

"  No  man  living  could  get  through  the  Long-Island  surf  in 
the  gales  that  I  have  seen,"  said  Thomas  John.  "  He  would  be 
beaten  to  death  by  the  waves,  in  no  time.  It  was  so  the  night 
'  The  Circassian  '  struck." 

"  Were  you  there  ?  "  they  all  cried. 

"  I  was  on  the  next  station,"  said  Thomas  John  ;  "  but  we 
were  sent  for,  to  help." 

Mr.  Longwood  found,  all  at  once,  that  he  was  deserted,  and 
that  Thomas  John  was  the  centre  of  attraction. 

"Tell  us  all  about  it,"  said  Jack.  "What  kind  of  weather 
was  it  ?  " 

"  Bad  as  could  be.  Wind  north-east,  blowing  a  gale,  and 
the  air  so  full  of  snow  that  we  could  not  make  her  out  well 
enough  to  use  the  mortar,  even  if  she  had  been  within  range. 
And  no  boat  made  could  have  lived  in  the  surf  that  was  run- 
ning.   There  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  wait  for  daylight. 

"  When  that  came,  the  snow  held  up  a  little,  and  matters 
looked  better.  The  sea  had  been  pounding  her  on  the  bar,  and 
had  driven  her  shoreward  quite  a  ways  ;  and  the  tide  had  gone 
out,  so  that  the  beach  was  not  under  water,  and  we  could  bring 
the  mortar  forward.  We  had  good  luck,  for  the  third  shot  fell 
plump  on  her  deck  ;  and  in  a  little  while  we  had  the  buoy  all 
rigged,  ready  to  run  them  ashore. 

"  But,  when  that  was  done,  we  found  that  the  surf  had  gone 


CARRYING  A  LINE  ABOARD,  THE  OLD  WAY. 


A  HAPPY  RELEASE. 


77 


down  enough  to  launch  a  boat  ;  and  so,  in  six  or  seven  trips, 
we  brought  the  whole  forty  men  safely  ashore." 

"  But  I  thought  they  were  all  drowned,"  said  Gertrude,  in 
astonishment. 

"  That  was  later,"  said  Thomas  John  ;  "  when  the  Coast 
Wrecking  Company  were   trying   to   get  the  ship  off.     It  was 


iWI— Trim  ji  if  iiiibmi  H  i  h  in  nu  i  fcngrnr*— — ~r"-*''; 

LAUNCHING  THE  SURF-BOAT. 


nearly  three  weeks  after  she  went  ashore,  before  she  broke  up. 
All  this  time,  the  Wrecking  Company  were  hard  at  work.  A 
gang  of  men  were  landing  cargo,  to  lighten  her.  Then,  they 
had  anchors  sunk  out  to  sea,  and  carried  hawsers  from  them 
aboard.  By  keeping  a  strain  on  these  hawsers,  they  dragged  her 
out  a  few  feet,  every  high  tide.    But  what  they  wanted  was  a 


78 


THE  LINE  IS  CAST  OFF. 


regular  gale.  Then  the  seas  would  come  in  high  enough  to  lift 
her  clear  off  the  bar,  and  they  could  drag  her  out,  and  get  away 
under  sail.  So  they  worked  for  dear  life,  and  hoped  for  a  storm. 
As  she  lay,  every  day  made  her  chances  worse  ;  for  the  sand 
banked  up  about  her,  and  she  was  in  danger  of  breaking  in  two. 
Being  aground  in  the  middle,  with  both  ends  in  deep  water,  the 
strain  was  tremendous  ;  and,  being  an  iron  ship,  of  course  she 
would  break  much  quicker  than  a  wooden  one. 

"  The  storm  came  ;  but  it  was  more  than  they  bargained  for. 
It  was  just  at  the  end  of  December.  Before  noon,  on  that  day, 
the  gang  of  men  who  had  been  shifting  cargo  came  ashore,  and 
the  line  to  the  beach  was  cast  off." 

"  That  would  seem  to  have  been  a  strange  thing  to  do,"  said 
Mr.  Longwood. 

"  It  cost  them  their  lives,"  said  Thomas  John.  "  It  was  this 
way  :  The  Wrecking  Company  were  determined  to  get  the  ship 
off.  They  believed  that  she  was  strong  enough  to  stand  any 
surf;  and  they  had  an  idea,  that,  if  the  line  were  there,  some  of 
the  crew  might  get  frightened,  and  make  for  shore,  just  at  a 
time  when  their  leaving  would  block  the  whole  thing.  So  they 
cast  off  the  line.  But  it  was  not  a  storm  that  came  :  it  was  a 
tornado." 

The  girls  and  boys  all  drew  a  little  nearer. 

"  Late  that  day,  the  life-saving  crew  at  Bridgehampton  made 
out  that  all  was  not  right  aboard.  They  could  see  her,  half 
buried  in  foam  and  spray,  and  she  was  rolling  and  pounding  ; 
but  her  hawsers  had  been  slacked,  and  that  meant  that  they  had 
given  up  trying  to  get  her  off.     Something  had  gone  wrong, 


that  was  certain.    We  found  out  afterwards  that  she  had  broken 


8o 


A  FEARFUL  NIGHT. 


her  back.  Still  no  one  ashore  felt  uneasy  (for  they  knew  how 
strong  she  was)  until  about  eight  o'clock,  when  they  made  out 
that  one  of  her  masts  was  gone.  That  showed  that  she  was 
breaking  up  ;  and  then  the  life-crew  at  Bridgehampton  sent  for 
help  to  the  other  stations. 

"  I  remember  that  I  had  just  come  off  my  beat,  and  was 
turning  in,  thankful  enough  that  my  work  for  the  night  was 
over,  when  we  heard  a  horseman  coming  at  full  gallop,  to  call 
us. 

"  As  soon  as  the  mast  went,  the  life-saving  crew  tried  to 
get  a  line  aboard.  But  it  was  no  use.  You  know  how  the 
Long-Island  beach  looks,  —  back  of  the  sea  a  broad  stretch 
of  sand,  two  or  three  hundred  feet  wide,  and  back  of  that  the 
sand-hills.  Well,  that  night  all  the  sand  was  covered,  and  the 
waves  came  lashing  up  the  sand-hills,  —  sweeping  over  them, 
and  cutting  sluiceways  clean  through  them.  It  was  fearful  to 
see.  The  mortar  had  to  be  fired  from  the  top  of  the  sand-hills  ; 
and,  in  the  teeth  of  such  a  wind  as  was  blowing,  the  ball  did 
not  begin  to  reach  the  ship.  Besides,  the  wet  sand  blew  so  that 
it  would  bury  the  line  before  it  could  be  coiled,  and  it  was  so 
cold,  that  at  times  it  froze  stiff. 

"  The  crew  had  long  since  taken  to  the  rigging ;  for  every 
sea  made  a  clean  breach  over  her. 

"  And  then  a  most  uncommon  thing  happened.  The  wind 
had  been  blowing  from  the  sou'-east,  and  all  at  once  it  chopped 
around  into  the  sou'-west,  and  blew  a  perfect  whirlwind.  It  made 
a  sea,  the  like  of  which  I  never  saw  before,  or  after.  Overhead, 
the    clouds  were    torn    apart    by  the    gale,  and  went  sweeping 


FOUR  MEN  ARE  SAVED. 


8l 


across  the  sky  like  mad ;  and  now  and  then  the  moon  shone 
between  their  ragged  edges,  so  that  we  could  see  better.  We 
kept  the  mortar  going  all  the  time  ;  but,  from  the  start,  it  was 
no  use. 

"  Close  on  to  midnight  the  tide  was  low,  so  that  the  ship's 
deck  was  no  longer  under  water.  We  saw  a  light  on  it,  and 
made  out  that  the  men  were  changing  to  the  mast  nearest  shore. 
By  three  o'clock,  the  mast  they  had  left  was  gone,  —  the  vessel 
had  broke  clean  in  two,  and  the  for'ard  part  had  sunk  in  the 
deep  water  outside  the  bar.  A  little  after  that,  the  one  they 
were  on  began  to  careen.  We  could  hear  them  shout  for  help, 
above  the  wind  and  surf.  Slowly  it  settled,  lower  and  lower,  till 
it  went  under,  and  the  cries  ceased." 

The  girls  all  drew  a  long  breath  of  horror. 

"  But  did  none  of  them  escape  ?  "  asked  Rose. 

"  Four  men  got  ashore,"  said  Thomas  John  ;  "  and  that  was 
the  strangest  part  of  the  whole  business.  It  was  all  owing  to 
the  pluck  of  one  of  them.  When  the  mast  went  down,  we 
scattered  along  the  beach  to  the  eastward,  on  the  bare  chance  ; 
but  not  a  soul  ever  dreamed  that  any  one  could  live  in  such  a 
sea.  However,  the  ship's  first  mate  had  forecasted  what  he  would 
do  if  the  ship  broke  up.  He  was  as  strong  as  a  giant,  —  the 
finest-built  man  I  ever  met.  While  the  others  were  running 
around,  kind  o'  terror-stricken,  he  and  the  second  mate  cut  out 
from  under  the  seats  of  one  of  the  ship's  boats  a  piece  of  cork 
buoy.  It  was  cigar-shaped,  and  about  five  feet  long.  They 
rigged  it  with  ropes,  through  which  an  arm  could  be  thrust,  and 
lugged  it  up  into  the  rigging  with  them. 


82 


A   WONDERFUL  ESCAPE. 


"  When  the  mast  went  under,  they  grabbed  it,  and  jumped 
as  far  towards  shore  as  they  could.  A  sailor,  struggling  in  the 
water,  got  hold  with  them  ;  and  one  of  the  Wrecking  Company's 
men,  who  came  up  alongside,  also  managed  to  reach  it.  Then 
the  first  mate  ordered  them  to  lock  legs  underneath.  This  held 
them  together,  and  turned  them  into  a  kind  of  craft,  that  he 
took  command  of.  When  a  big  wave  was  coming,  he'd  give  the 
order,  '  Hold  hard  !  '  and,  when  it  had  gone  by,  '  Ease  up,  and 
breathe  !  '  When  they  got  in  towards  shore,  he  loosened  his 
legs,  and  sounded,  telling  them,  '  After  next  wave,  run  !  '  A  big 
sea  pitched  them  well  up  the  beach,  and  they  tried  to  run,  as  it 
swept  back  ;  but  they  were  too  far  gone,  and  would  have  been 
dragged  out  in  the  undertow,  and  killed,  if  the  life-saving  men 
had  not  rushed  in,  and  dragged  them  back." 

"  What  a  hero  that  man  must  have  been  !  "  said  two  or  three  ; 
and  Mrs.  Longwood  asked,  "  Did  they  all  live  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Thomas  John.  "  They  came  ashore  nearly  a 
mile  to  eastward  of  the  wreck,  though  they  thought  they  had 
not  been  in  the  water  more  than  three  minutes.  It  was  so  cold, 
that,  before  we  could  carry  them  to  the  station,  they  were  cased 
in  ice.  One  man  was  very  low,  and  for  a  day  or  so  we  did 
not  think  he  could  live  ;  but  the  first  mate  was  smoking  his 
pipe  by  the  fire,  a  half-hour  afterward." 

"  And  they  were  all  that  were  saved,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood  ; 
"  and  twenty-eight  lost." 

"  Ten  of  the  men  were  Indians,  who  were  working  for  the 
Wrecking  Company.  They  were  the  pick  of  the  Shinnecocks, 
and  their  death  was  a  great  blow  to  the  tribe.    Some  of  the 


ANOTHER  TALE  OF  THE  SEA. 


85 


lost,  too,  were  hardly  more  than  boys.  They  were  a  sort  of 
apprentices,  in  the  same  position  in  the  merchant-service  that 
midshipmen  are  in  the  navy,  I  fancy.  The  captain  was  urged  to 
leave  them  ashore  ;  but  he  said  their  place  was  aboard." 

"  Poor  boys  !  "  said  Mrs.  Longwood  sadly.  "  I  am  thinking 
of  their  mothers." 

"  There  was  a  very  strange  shipwreck  on  the  Jersey  coast,  a 
few  months  after  the  loss  of  '  The  Circassian,'  "  said  Mr.  Long- 
wood.  "  It  was  a  schooner,  if  I  remember  rightly,  '  The  Margaret 
and  Lucy.'  The  patrolman  on  the  beach,  about  eight  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  saw,  down  the  coast  before  him,  a  bright  light  like 
a  torch.  While  he  was  looking,  it  went  out.  He  hurried  on  as 
fast  as  possible,  through  the  driving  rain,  and  saw,  about  three 
hundred  yards  out  from  the  shore,  a  red  and  a  green  fight,  one 
only  a  few  feet  above  the  other.  He  at  once  burned  the  red 
light  with  which  each  patrol  is  furnished,  to  give  notice  to  those 
on  board  that  they  had  been  seen  ;  but  not  a  sound  was  heard, 
nor  was  there  any  signal  in  response.  So  he  made  all  speed 
back  to  his  station,  to  report.  A  man  was  sent  at  once  to  the 
spot,  to  watch,  while  the  rest  of  the  crew  dragged  the  mortar- 
car  slowly  through  the  sand. 

"  All  at  once  the  man  on  guard  saw  the  lights  disappear ; 
the  next  moment  came  the  sound  of  a  crash  from  the  sea  ;  and 
that  was  all  that  was  ever  seen  of  '  The  Margaret  and  Lucy,' 
except  the  pieces  of  wreckage  that  lined  the  beach  for  miles, 
the  next  morning." 

"  Why,  what  an  extraordinary  thing  !  "  said  Will. 

"The  pieces  that  came  ashore,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "were 


86 


GERTRUDE  TIRES  OF  HORRORS. 


broken  into  bits,  and  thoroughly  decayed.  It  was  believed  that 
the  ship  was  so  rotten,  that,  when  she  struck  the  bar,  her  bot- 
tom rubbed  off,  and  that  she  sank  before  the  crew  had  a  chance 
to  save  themselves.  The  torch  was  thought  to  have  been  lighted 
by  them  when  she  first  struck,  and  its  almost  instant  disappear- 
ance showed  how  quickly  she  sank.  The  red  and  green  lights 
were  those  in  the  rigging.  Seven  lives  were  lost  in  this  catas- 
trophe." 

"  Dear  me  !  "  said  Gertrude  :  "  we  have  had  enough  of  horrors. 
Do  let  us  have  something  cheerful." 

"I  think  so  too,"  said  Carrie.    "What  say  you  to  a  game?" 

A  game  was  decided  on  ;  and  girls  and  boys  were  soon  scaling 
ladders,  and  hiding  in  mows.  And  such  good  fun  did  they  find 
it,  that,  before  they  realized  it,  the  morning  had  gone,  and  they 
were  called  to  dinner. 

"  There  is  one  thing  that  always  provokes  me,"  said  Carrie, 
as  they  sat  about  the  table  ;  "  and  that  is,  that,  in  these  stories 
that  one  hears  of  deeds  of  braver)-,  a  man  is  always  the  hero. 
Just  as  if  women  never  did  brave  things !  Women  do  just  as 
many,  I  believe,  only  they  don't  talk  of  them.  But,  for  a 
change,  I  would  like  to  hear  one  in  which  a  woman  was  the 
heroine." 

"  My  great-grandmother  "  —  began  Jack. 

But  he  got  no  farther  than  the  word  "  great-grandmother ;  " 
for,  at  that,  every  one  broke  out  laughing.  Jack  had  often 
boasted  of  a  great-grandmother  of  his,  and  of  some  bold  deed 
which  she  had  once  done.  But,  though  many  a  time  urged  to 
tell  the  tale,  something  had  always  happened  to  prevent,  and  the 


NIGHT  PATROL  BURNING  THE  RED  LIGHT. 


JACK  TELLS  THE  STORY  OF  HIS  GREAT-GRANDMOTHER.  89 


subject  had  come  to  be  regarded  as  a  great  joke.  Carrie  had 
even  suggested  that  her  name  was  Harris,  and  had  openly  stated 
that  she  didn't  "  believe  there  was  no  sich  a  person." 

Jack  flushed  at  the  laughter,  and  looked  very  indignant. 

"  What  was  it  you  were  going  to  say,  Jack  ? "  asked  Mr. 
Longwood  kindly. 

"  I  was  only  going  to  say,  sir,"  he  replied,  with  considerable 
dignity,  "  that  my  great-grandmother  was  a  woman." 

At  this,  there  was  such  another  peal  of  merriment  that  Jack's 
wrath  was  kindled  afresh,  and  he  declared  that  he  would  never  tell 
the  story  anyway.  But,  seeing  that  his  feelings  were  really  hurt, 
they  all  set  to  work  to  appease  him,  with  such  good  results  that 
presently  he  began. 

"  Some  fellow  has  worked  it  into  poetry,"  he  said  ;  "  so  here 
goes  :  — 

SIXTY  YEARS  AFTER. 

'  Hark,  hark  !    I  hear  the  sound  of  hoofs  : 

'Tis  the  British  horse.    Hide  !  flee  !  ' 
'  Nay,  Grand-dame,  lay  aside  your  fears  : 
The  British  horse,  these  sixty  years, 

Have  been  across  the  sea. 
'Tis  but  some  traveller  of  a  night : 
You're  by  your  fireside  warm  and  bright.' 

'  Ay,  so  I  am.    My  thoughts  were  back 

In  those  days  of  war  and  flight. 
Once  more  my  blood  seemed  chill  with  fear, 
At  those  loud  hoof-beats  drawing  near, 

As  on  that  dreadful  night, 


9o 


A   WOMAN'S  WIT. 


When,  roused  from  sleep,  I  heard  the  shout, 
"  Come  forth,  you  rebel,  or  be  burned  out  !  " 

'  Who  was  the  rebel  ?    Your  grandsire,  child ; 

A  major  of  rebels,  he. 
To  see  his  wife,  he'd  stolen  home, 
Near  British  posts.    They  learned  he'd  come, 

Through  Tory  treachery. 
They  stayed  to  see  the  burned  house  fall ; 
But  woman's  wit  outmatched  them  all. 

*  Down  to  the  door,  half  choked  with  smoke, 

Where  their  captain  stood,  I  went ; 
"  You  fight  not  women,  sir,"  I  said  : 
*'  To  move  my  mother,  ill  in  bed, 

Give  us,  at  least,  consent." 
On  her  feather-bed  we  bore  her  out, 
Half  dead  with  fright  at  that  wild  rout. 

*  Not  a  man  there  would  lend  a  hand  : 

So  the  bed  dragged  on  the  ground. 
Your  grandsire,  crouching,  crept  along, 
Safe  underneath,  through  the  wild  throng 

That  jeering  stood  around. 
As  the  roof  fell,  they  laughed,  and  said, 
"  One  rebel  more  has  joined  the  dead." 

*  Then,  mounting  steeds,  they  rode  away, 

And  I  laughed  aloud  in  glee  ; 
For  what  cared  I  for  roof-tree  burned, 
And  household  goods  to  ashes  turned? 

My  rebel  was  safe  for  me. 
But  still  the  tramp  of  horses'  feet 
At  night  makes  my  heart  cease  to  beat.'  " 


ANOTHER  DAY  IS  OVER. 


91 


They  lingered  about  the  table  for  a  long  time,  discussing 
Jack's  story,  and  talking  of  one  thing  and  another.  At  length 
Will,  looking  out  of  the  window,  exclaimed,  — 

"  Why,  it's  stopped  raining  !  and  I  think  the  wind  has  hauled. 
I  shouldn't  wonder  if  it  cleared." 

A  rush  to  the  door  followed  ;  and  there  they  found  that  his 
surmise  was  true  ;  for  away  in  the  west,  on  the  horizon's  edge, 
was  a  streak  of  pale-blue  sky,  while  the  heavy  clouds  overhead 
were  beginning  to  break  away  and  to  hurry  seaward. 

WTith  exclamations  of  satisfaction,  the  boys  seized  their  hats, 
and  rushed  out.  Every  thing  was  dripping  wet  ;  but  the  girls 
donned  their  wraps,  and  joined  them,  and  all  went  together  to- 
ward the  beach,  where  the  sea  was  rolling  in  with  fearful  fury. 
There  was  a  strange  fascination  in  watching  the  waves,  as,  one 
after  another,  they  drew  nearer,  and  finally  snapped  themselves 
out,  with  a  report  like  a  cannon,  and  disappeared  in  a  shower 
of  spray. 

Toward  evening  they  took  a  stroll  across  the  moors,  which 
brought  them  home  to  supper  with  wet  feet  and  rousing  appe- 
tites. And,  by  the  time  the  clock  struck  nine  that  night,  every 
boy  and  girl  was  fast  asleep,  and  another  day  was  over. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


The  sun  was 
well  out  of  his  wa- 
tery bed  before  the 
boys  awoke  the 
next  morning.  In 
the  crisp  Septem- 
ber air,  blowing  in 


fresh  gusts  down  from  the  New-England  hills,  every  object  stood 
out  clear  and  distinct.  Jack,  as  he  put  his  head  out  of  the  barn- 
door, even  insisted  that  he  could  see  the  Connecticut  shore  ; 
but,  as  there  was  quite  a  hill  between  him  and  that  somewhat 
distant  land,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  he  must  have  been 
mistaken. 

There  was  no  great  shower-bath  pouring  from  the  roof  on 
this  morning  ;  but  the  large  tub  was  full,  and,  by  the  aid  of  a 
pail,  a  fair  substitute  for  yesterday's  plunge  was  had.  Then, 
finding  that  it  was  still  a  good  hour  until  breakfast,  and  that  no 
one  of  their  party  at  the  house  was  stirring,  the  boys  decided  to 
work  off  their  superfluous  energy  by  a  long  walk  down  the 
beach. 

"  Perhaps  we  may  find  a  corpse  or  two,"  said  Jack,  skipping 
92 


TOM  HAS  A  PRESENTIMENT. 


93 


for  lightness  of  heart,  "  and  around  its  waist  a  money-bag  stuffed 
with  gold  and  jewels." 

So,  now  walking,  now  running,  and  now  stopping  short,  they 
soon  were  out  of  sight. 

Presently,  as  they  were  looking  seaward,  where  a  full-rigged 
ship  was  flying  along  with  all  canvas  spread,  one  of  them  chanced 
to  glance  over  his 
shoulder.  On  the 
road  across  the  moors, 
some  distance  away,  he 
saw  a  man  on  horse- 
back, moving  along  at 
good  speed.  They  all 
watched  him  for  a 
moment,  when  Tom 
said,  — 

"  I'll  wager  any 
thing  that  he  has 
come  to  bring  a  mes- 
sage to  papa.  I  feel 
it  in  my  bones.  Let's 
go  back." 

Off  they  all  start- 
ed ;  but  Tom  was  so 
much  impressed  by  his  fancy,  that  he  strode  on  at  a  pace  that 
left  the  others  out  of  sight,  and  brought  him  to  the  house 
breathless. 

Sure  enough,  he  found  the  man  sitting  on  his  horse,  talking 


TOM  HURRIES  BACK. 


94 


A   TELEGRAM  ARRIVES. 


to  his  father.  Mr.  Longwood  had  apparently  been  called  down 
from  his  room  unexpectedly,  for  his  coat  was  loosely  thrown  on, 
and  his  hair  dishevelled. 


THE  MAN  FROM  EASTHAMPTON. 


"  O  Tom  !  "  he  said,  "I  am  glad  to  see  you.  Perhaps  you 
can  suggest  some  way  out  of  the  difficulty.  This  man  brings 
me  a  telegram  from  my  clerk  in  New  York,  saying  that  there 


BREAKFAST  IS  READY. 


95 


are  some  papers  there  requiring  my  immediate  attention.  I  am 
afraid  that  I  must  go  back,  and  leave  you." 

"That  would  be  awful,"  said  Tom,  "and  spoil  all  our  fun. 
Let  me  see.  I  have  it !  Telegraph  him  to  meet  you  at  New 
London  to-morrow.  It  would  be  a  jolly  sail  across  ;  and  we 
could  get  back  that  same  evening." 

"  I  believe  you've  hit  the  very  thing,"  said  Mr.  Longwood. 
"  I'll  go  in,  and  write  the  despatch." 

While  he  was  gone,  Tom  climbed  the  fence,  and  opened 
conversation  with  the  messenger. 

"  Where  did  you  get  the  telegram  ?  "  asked  he. 

"  Your  man  fetched  it  to  Easthampton  yesterday.  He  laid 
out  to  hire  a  horse  there  to  bring  him  on.  I  thought  I'd  kind 
o'  interrogate  him  'bout  the  road  ;  and  found  he'd  never  been 
over  it.  So  I  told  him,  that,  if  the  thing  must  go,  I'd  take  it 
myself ;  but  I  didn't  propose  to  have  one  of  my  horses  bogged 
in  the  Napeague  marshes.  And  'twas  lucky  I  did  ;  for  no  green 
hand  'ud  ever  got  through.  Half  the  road  was  washed  clean 
away.  I  got  to  House  No.  i  at  dark,  and  come  on  first  thing 
this  morning." 

At  this  point  the  other  boys  hurried  up,  and  Mr.  Longwood 
came  out  with  the  despatch. 

"  Now,  then,"  he  said,  as  the  man  rode  away,  after  buttoning 
it  up  in  his  coat,  "  I  must  make  haste,  and  get  ready  for  break- 
fast. Our  landlady  told  me  that  she  was  just  putting  it  on  the 
table.  Kate  and  Carrie  are  down  by  the  beach.  Will  one  of 
you  call  them  ?  " 

"  I  will,"  said  Jack ;  and  he  set  off  on  a  run  toward  where 


96 


A   TERRIBLE  CALAMITY  AVERTED. 


the  two  could  be  seen  standing  on  a  little  bluff  overlooking  the 
sea.  As  he  came  close  to  them  he  stopped,  and  a  look  of  mis- 
chief came  over  his  face. 

"  Girls,"  he  said,  in  a  steady  voice,  "  be  calm  !  Don't  be 
frightened.    But  get  away  from  that  bluff  as  quickly  and  quietly 

as  you  can.  This  whole  shore 
is  washing  away  at  a  fearful 
rate." 

Involuntarily  Kate  dropped 
her  arms  from  Carrie,  and  both 
hurried  backward.  But  they 
had  not  gone  a  dozen  feet, 
before  they  stopped  with  some- 
what sheepish  faces.  Then 
Carrie  turned  upon  Jack,  who 
had  thrown  himself  down  on 
the  grass,  and  was  rolling  over 
and  over  in  an  ecstasy  of  de- 
light. 

"  You   wicked   boy  !  "  she 
said.    "  You  told  a  story  !  " 
"  I  did  not,"  said  Jack.    "  I  read  a  book  on  Long  Island,  the 
'morning  before  I  left  New  York  ;  and  it  said  that  it  was  esti- 
mated that  two  thousand  tons  of  soil  were  washed  away  from 
Montauk  every  day." 

The  sound  of  a  bell  from  the  house  put  a  speedy  end  to 
Carrie's  indignation,  and  together  they  all  hurried  thither. 

Breakfast  and  prayers  over,  there  ensued  a  scene  of  bustle. 


CARRIE  AND  KATE. 


CAPTAIN  JACKSON  ESCORTS  THEM  ABOARD. 


97 


It  had  been  decided  that  all  were  to  go  aboard  "  The  Mavis," 
and  sail  to  the  point.  Should  the  sea  be  smooth,  they  might 
perhaps  go  a  little  way  out.  They  could,  in  any  case,  easily 
make  a  landing  at  the  light-house,  and  take  dinner  there. 

Mr.  Cattle-keeper,  as  Jack  called  him,  had  been  interviewed 
on  the  subject  that  morning,  and  had  promised  to  take  them  all 
down  Fort  Pond  in  his  sail-boat,  so  that  there  would  be  only  a 
few  hundred  feet  to  walk  to  "  The  Mavis."  And  so,  when  they 
reached  the  northern  end  of  the  pond,  they  found  Capt.  Jackson 
standing  on  the  shore  to  welcome  them,  while  one  of  the  sailors 
was  in  the  schooner's  boat,  waiting  to  put  them  aboard. 

"  Well,"  said  the  captain,  as  he  shook  hands  all  around, 
"  you  don't  seem  to  have  been  damaged  by  the  storm.  No  top- 
masts gone,  no  sails  split  ;  every  thing  taut  and  ship-shape. 
That's  hearty.  You  did  well  to  get  ashore,  boys,"  he  went  on. 
"  The  cabin  of  '  The  Mavis '  wasn't  big  enough  for  me  yester- 
day ;  and  what  we  should  have  all  done,  shut  up  in  her,  I  don't 
know.    Who  goes  aboard  first  ?    Ladies,  of  course." 

So  saying,  the  captain  helped  Mrs.  Longwood  and  two  or 
three  of  the  girls  into  the  small  boat,  and,  taking  his  place  in 
the  stern,  was  pulled  out  to  "  The  Mavis,"  where  they  all  got 
on  board,  while  the  boat  went  back  for  the  others.  Then  he 
brought  up  an  armful  of  rugs  from  some  unseen  locker,  and 
spread  them  on  the  deck,  where  Mrs.  Longwood  would  be  shel- 
tered from  the  wind. 

Meanwhile  the  rest  were  come,  the  boat  was  hauled  up,  the 
sails  were  raised,  and  "  The  Mavis  "  was  once  more  under  way. 
How  lightly  she  flew  along,  lying  well  over,  and  throwing  back 


98 


GERTRUDE  WISHES  TO  FLY. 


in  spray  the  waves  that  came  rolling  up  under  her  bow  !  There 
was  life  and  vigor  in  her  every  motion.  "  I  feel  as  if  I  could 
fly,"  said  Gertrude.  "  I  know  now  just  how  clouds  feel  ;  "  and 
she  broke  out  singing,  — 

THE  SONG  OF  A  CLOUD. 

From  afar,  by  wild,  hot,  west  winds  driven, 

Have  I  come  with  flying  feet ; 
O'er  mountain,  forest,  and  broad  farm-fields, 

Scorched  in  the  summer  heat. 
But  now  I  see  the  breakers  gleam, 

And  the  white  surf  dashing  free, 
And  I  catch  the  sound  of  a  sea-bird's  scream : 

Yo,  ho  !  for  the  open  sea  ! 

Once  more  I  breathe  the  strong  salt  air, 

While  around  the  sea-gulls  fly ; 
And  the  stormy  petrel  rocks  below, 

Where  the  tossing  waves  dash  high. 
And  the  great  white  ships,  with  all  sails  spread, 

Leave  the  land  upon  the  lea ; 
And  the  wild  winds,  rollicking,  cry  aloud  : 

Yo,  ho  !  for  the  open  sea  ! 

By  and  by  they  began  to  see  before  them  the  end  of  the 
island.  The  great  white  light-house  towering  high  above  the 
cliffs  had  long  been  in  sight,  but  now  they  could  look  out  into 
the  ocean.  A  fleet  of  small  craft  lay  there,  pitching  up  and 
down  in  the  heavy  swell  that  came  in  from  the  sea. 

"  What  are  all  those  boats  doing  ?  "  asked  Rose. 


MR.  LONG  WOOD  ASKS  A  QUESTION. 


99 


"  Fishing,"  said  Capt.  Jackson.  "  There  is  no  place  in  the 
world  like  this   for  fish.    You  have  only  to  put  in  a  line,  and 


A  FISHING-BOAT  OFF  MONTAUK  POINT. 


pull  up  a  fish.  These  boats,  many  of  them,  come  from  New  Lon- 
don, and  stay  out  here  for  days." 

"  Do  the  fish  bite  here  now  on  Sundays  ? "  asked  Mr.  Long- 
wood. 


IOO 


A  PRAYIXG  AND  A  PIOUS  COMPANY. 


"  Didn't  they  always  ?  "  asked  the  captain. 

"  I  have  a  book  at  home,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  called 
'  Magnalia  Christi.'  It  was  written  by  a  very  eminent,  if  not  the 
most  eminent,  minister  of  New  England,  in  the  old  colonial  days. 
In  it  you  will  find  a  passage  something  like  this  :  — 

1  "'On  the  16th  of  October,  in  this  present  year  1697,  there  arrived  at  New 
Haven  a  sloop  of  about  fifty  tuns,  whereof  Mr.  William  Trowbridge  was  master : 
the  vessel  belonged  unto  New  Haven,  the  persons  on  board  were  seven ;  and  sev- 
enteen long  weeks  had  they  now  spent  since  they  came  from  their  port,  which 
was  Fayal.  By  so  unusually  tedious  a  passage,  a  terrible  famine  unavoidably  came 
upon  them  ;  &  for  the  five  last  weeks  of  their  voyage  they  were  so  destitute  of  all 
food,  that  thro'  faintness  they  would  have  chosen  death  rather  than  life.  But  they 
were  a  praying  &  a  pious  company ;  and  when  "  these  poor  men  cried  unto  the 
Lord,  he  heard  &  saved  them."  God  sent  his  dolphins  to  attend  'em ;  and  of 
these  they  caught  still  one  every  day,  which  was  enough  to  serve  'em :  only  on 
Saturdays  they  still  catched  a  couple  :  and  on  the  Lord's  Days  they  could  catch 
none  at  all.  With  all  possible  skill  &  care  they  could  not  supply  themselves  with 
the  fish  in  any  other  number  or  order ;  and  indeed  with  an  holy  blush  at  last  they 
left  off  trying  to  do  any  thing  on  the  Lord's  Days,  when  they  were  so  well  sup- 
ply'd  on  the  Saturdays. 

" '  Thus  the  Lord  kept  feeding  a  company  that  put  their  trust  in  him,  as  he 
did  his  Israel  with  his  manna :  and  thus  they  continu'd  until  the  dolphins  came 
to  that  change  of  water,  where  they  us'd  to  leave  the  vessels.  Then  they  so 
strangely  surrendered  themselves,  that  the  company  took  twenty-seven  of  'em ; 
which  not  only  suffie'd  them  until  they  came  ashore,  but  also  some  of  'em  were 
brought  ashore  dry'd,  as  a  monument  of  the  divine  benignity.'  " 

The  effect  of  this  story  on  Capt.  Jackson  was  peculiar.  He 

1  As  Mr.  Longwood  was  not  quite  exact  in  the  wording  of  this  passage,  we  have  asked 
Tom  Longwood  to  copy  it  out  of  the  book,  and  give  it  here  just  as  it  was  written. 


A  FISH-STORY. 


turned  toward  the  boys,  put  his  tongue  in  his  cheek,  and  winked 
three  distinct  winks. 

Mr.  Longwood  looked  up,  and  saw  him. 

"  Then  you  don't  believe  it  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  didn't  say  that,"  said  the  captain  ;  "  but  it  sounds  to  me^ 
a  good  deal  like 
a  fish-story." 

Just  then  a 
voice  was  heard 
shouting,  "  Skip- 
per, ahoy  !  " 

Close  to  their 
stern  was  passing 
a  small  fishing- 
craft  ;  and  stand- 
ing up  in  it,  one 
hand  grasping 
the  tiller,  was  a 
weather-beaten 
fellow,  with  a 
hearty,  open  face. 

"  Ye  seem  to 
have  your  family 
aboard,  skipper,"  he  bawled,  with  a  grin,  as  Capt.  Jackson  an- 
swered his  hail.  "  Their  keep  must  be  a  big  drain  on  ye. 
Now,  if  ye've  a  nice  spry  lad  that  ye'd  like  to  'prentice  out, 
chuck  him  over,  and  I'll  pick  him  up.  Must  be  spry  and  handy, 
though,  and  know  how  to  clean  fish." 


THE  JOVIAL  FISHERMAN. 


102 


MRS.  LONG  WOOD  DECIDES  TO  LAND. 


The  girls  and  boys  all  laughed,  and  the  old  man  seemed 
highly  delighted  at  the  way  his  little  joke  had  been  taken. 

"  A  pleasant  v'yage  to  ye  all,"  he  said,  and  he  took  off  his 
hat  to  them. 

By  this  time  the  heavy  swell  from  the  sea  was  beginning  to 
reach  them,  and  "  The  Mavis  "  rose  and  fell  on  it  in  a  way  that 
made  Mrs.  Longwood  decide  that  they  would  land  at  once.  "  It 
will  be  quite  dinner-time  when  we  are  landed,  and  have  climbed 
the  hill  to  the  light-house,"  she  said.  "  You  boys  can  all  go  to 
sea  this  afternoon,  if  you  wish ;  and  the  rest  of  us  will  drive 
back  over  the  moors.  I  took  the  precaution  to  order  the  stage 
to  meet  us  here." 

So  "The  Mavis"  was  headed  into  the  quieter  waters,  under 
shelter  of  the  point,  and  they  made  a  landing  by  the  aid  of  her 
boat.  In  half  an  hour  they  had  climbed  the  hill,  and  were  at 
the  light-house. 

Instinctively  they  all  ran  out  to  the  edge  of  the  point.  A 
hundred  feet  or  more  sheer  below  them,  lay  the  sea.  Great  swells, 
the  remnants  of  yesterday's  storm,  came  rolling  in  from  the  ocean, 
pitching  up  and  down  the  fleet  of  fishing-craft  like  so  many  toy 
boats.  Ten  miles  away,  Block  Island  rose  out  of  the  sea.  On 
one  side  of  them  was  the  boundless  ocean,  and,  on  the  other, 
Long  Island  Sound.  Overhead  swept  the  sea-gulls,  with  long, 
steady  beat  of  wings,  uttering  hoarse  cries. 

They  all  stood  fascinated  for  a  few  moments.  Jack  was  the 
first  to  break  the  spell. 

"  I  fancy  I  detect  the  odor  of  broiled  bluefish,"  he  said, 
sniffing  the  air.    "  Dinner  must  be  ready.    Let's  go  in." 


A  NEW  KIND  OF  ICE-BOAT. 


103 


They  made  their  way  to  the  little  parlor,  and  seated  them- 
selves. The  odor  of  broiled  bluefish  was  much  stronger.  It 
was  evident  to  the  least  tutored  nose  that  dinner  could  not  be 
far  off. 

Nevertheless  it  seemed  to  the  hungry  young  folk  to  be  a 
long  while  in  coming.  Jack  wandered  restlessly  about  ;  but  Tom, 
taking  down  a  book  from  the  chimney-shelf,  began  to  read. 

"  Why,  this  is  a  jolly  book  !  "  he  said  after  a  little,  looking 
up.  "It  is  written  by  a  man  who  was  in  the  quartermaster's 
department  during  the  Revolution." 

"  '  My  feyther  fit  into  the  Revolution,' "  remarked  Jack ; 
"  '  that  is,  he  druv  a  baggage- wagon.  He  was  wounded  ;  that 
is,  he  was  kicked  by  a  mule.'  " 

"  This  man  drove  a  baggage-wagon  too,"  laughed  Tom.  "  It's 
quite  jolly.  The  part  I  have  been  reading  tells  how  he  went  up 
Lakes  George  and  Champlain,  on  the  ice,  to  Canada.  Coming 
back,  he  passed  great  numbers  of  sleighs  carrying  troops  north- 
ward. On  Lake  George,  he  says  the  men  stood  up  on  the  seats, 
with  arms  locked.  The  wind  was  fresh  from  behind,  and  carried 
them  on  at  such  a  pace,  that  the  horses  had  to  go  at  a  full 
gallop,  to  keep  the  sleigh  from  running  on  their  heels." 

"  Read  us  a  little,"  asked  Kate. 

So  Tom  began  :  — 

"'Early  in  the  year  1777,  my  father  and  I  were  again  in 
active  employment.  Large  quantities  of  provisions  had  been 
accumulating  at  Bennington  for  the  use  of  our  northern  armies, 
and  the  New-England  people  had  been  quite  industrious  in  fur- 
nishing their  quota  of  supplies.    As  there  was  always  some  con- 


104 


OVER  THE  HILLS  AND  EAR  AWAY. 


tention  about  getting  a  job,  as  it  was  called,  my  father  took  the 
precaution  to  bring  the  loads  contracted  for,  down  to  his  own 
farm,  and  then  he  carried  them  to  the  north  afterwards,  as  he 
had  leisure.  We  went  with  them  to  Whitehall,  then  known  as 
Skenesborough.  Thence  we  travelled  down  Lake  George  to  Ti, 
and  there  delivered  our  loads.  On  our  second  trip,  we  had 
scarcely  unloaded  our  sleighs,  when  Col.  Hay,  well  known  as  an 
active  and  efficient  quartermaster-general,  informed  us  that  we 
must  stay,  and  commence  dragging  timber  for  the  bridge  which 
was  about  to  be  constructed,  by  order  of  Congress,  between  Ti 
and  Mount  Independence.  As  we  had  not  yet  fulfilled  our  con- 
tract in  regard  to  forwarding  the  supplies,  my  father  remonstrated, 
and  mentioned  that,  if  he  was  not  allowed  to  bring  on  the 
remainder,  as  he  had  contracted,  before  the  lake  opened,  it  would 
after  that  become  impracticable.  Col.  Hay,  however,  said  that  it 
was  far  more  important  for  him  to  assist  in  the  construction  of 
the  works,  than  to  transport  the  supplies.  My  father,  on  this 
occasion,  gave  a  specimen  of  his  boldness  and  ingenuity,  and  it 
illustrated  the  manner  in  which  every  thing  was  managed  in 
those  days.  An  officer  was  despatched  to  take  charge  of  our 
party ;  and  my  father  then  requested  permission  to  cross  over  to 
Mount  Independence,  to  deposit  his  load.  He  gave  me  private 
instructions  to  follow  him,  at  all  hazards.  The  officer  jumped 
into  my  sleigh,  and  stood  up  in  it.  My  father  led  the  way,  and 
drove  down  hill  at  full  speed  in  another  direction  than  the  one 
intended.  I  followed  him  as  fast  as  possible,  when  the  officer 
cried  out,  "  Where  are  you  going  to  ? "  I  replied,  "  After  my 
father ; "  and  a  fresh  application  of  the  whip  made  the  horses 


CARRYING  TROOPS  INTO  CANADA. 


A  NEW  SORT  OF  GUIDE-BOARD. 


107 


dash  on  in  the  most  furious  manner.  The  officer,  in  full  dress, 
and  not  relishing  the  strange  manoeuvre,  nor  even  understanding 
it,  thought  proper  to  jump  out  of  the  sleigh,  and,  in  doing  so, 
described  a  parabolic  curve,  or  rather  a  long  ellipse,  which  gave 
him  time  to  turn  heels  upward,  and  descended  with  velocity,  head 
foremost  in  the  snow.  I  gave  him  one  look  over  my  shoulder, 
as  he  was  flying  through  the  air,  and  then  another,  when  I  per- 
ceived him  stuck  upright  in  the  snow,  like  a  guide-board,  one 
foot  pointing  to  Mount  Independence,  and  the  other  to  Ti.  But 
I  was  too  happy  at  the  thought  of  again  rejoining  my  father,  to 
indulge  in  any  other  sentiments  than  those  of  exceeding  joy. 

"  '  We  very  soon  got  under  the  brow  of  the  hill,  and  on  the 
lake  shore,  where,  to  our  surprise,  we  found  many  others  of  our 
companions  before  us,  parleying  with  a  sentry,  who  guarded  the 
roads  to  the  lake,  and  who  required  them  to  show  a  permit 
before  he  could  allow  them  to  pass.  It  was  a  critical  moment 
for  us,  as  we  expected  an  alarm  and  pursuit.  One  John  Mahony, 
a  neighbor  of  ours,  had  previously  drawn  out  of  his  pocket  an 
old  certificate,  and,  though  unable  to  read  himself,  endeavored, 
from  memory,  to  mutter  out  the  words  of  a  permit.  Nor  was 
the  sentry  any  wiser,  for  he  could  not  read  ;  and  Mahony  had 
declared  that  it  was  a  pass  for  nine  sleighs,  the  exact  number 
that  was  already  there,  before  we  arrived.  My  father,  with  great 
presence  of  mind,  corrected  him,  and  read  the  paper  so  it  ap- 
peared a  permit  for  eleven  sleighs.  The  sentry  took  all  for 
granted,  as  he  saw  the  paper  before  his  eyes  ;  and  we  came  off 
together  in  high  glee.  We  were  then  safe  ;  for,  however  within 
the  line  of  sentinels  we  were  liable  to  detention,  beyond  them 


io8 


A  DISCOMFITED  PRESS-GANG. 


we  knew  we  were  not  to  be  overtaken,  either  by  their  fire,  or 
by  pursuit  on  any  of  the  worn-out  horses  of  the  garrison. 

"  '  Some  others  of  our  companions  were  not  so  fortunate. 
Coming  down  the  wrong  road,  with  similar  intentions  of  escaping 
from  impressment  like  that  which  my  father  had  determined  net 
to  submit  to,  they  crossed  the  very  same  sentinel,  though  under 
circumstances  which  showed  confusion  at  seeing  him  ;  still  they 
determined  to  force  their  way  past  him.  He  hailed  them.  They 
pretended  not  to  hear  him.  He  hailed  again.  They  were  deaf. 
He  hailed  again.  They  kept  their  horses  at  full  speed.  The 
sentinel  fired  ;  and,  as  they  were  exactly  in  the  range  of  his  fire, 
the  ball  struck  the  nearest  sleigh,  passed  between  the  legs  of 
the  driver,  between  the  horses  in  front,  and  struck  the  next 
sleigh,  \  he  e  it  lodged.  They  were  out  of  reach  before  he  could 
•fire  again.  When  we  arrived  at  Fort  Anne,  we  had  another  similar 
attempt  at  coercion  to  resist.  A  sentinel  there  also  stopped  us  ; 
and  we  were  ordered  to  remain,  and  to  load  with  hides,  to  be 
carried  down  to  Albany,  for  the  purpose  of  being  manufactured 
into  shoes  for  the  army.  As  it  was  getting  late  in  the  season, 
and  we  were  anxious  to  finish  our  contract  before  it  was  impracti- 
cable, objections  were  made  to  going  on  to  Albany  at  that  time. 
Mahony  endeavored  to  force  the  guard  ;  but  a  scuffle  took  place, 
and  he  was  overpowered.  An  officer  came  up ;  and,  as  he  was 
inclined  to  use  compulsion,  we  hit  upon  the  expedient  of  giving 
one  of  our  companions,  an  honest,  good-natured  militia  officer, 
the  title  of  colonel,  and,  in  a  measure,  placed  ourselves  under 
his  protection.  The  mention  of  his  title  had  considerable  effect 
upon  the  press-gang.    By  mutual  agreement,  a  further  arrange- 


ANOTHER  RACE  FOR  LIBERTY. 


ment  was  to  be  made  in  relation  to  the  business,  at  the  fort, 
which  was  on  a  piece  of  rising  ground.  The  sentinel  himself, 
far  from  being  boisterous,  civilly  pointed  out  the  road,  which  went 
across  the  creek  and  around  a  point  of  land,  while  he  took  a 
short  cut  across  the  point,  to  be  there  as  soon  as  we.  The 
colonel  forgot  his  rank  and  his  promise,  and  so  did  we.  The 
moment  we  were  out  of  view,  under  the  rise  of  ground,  we  left 
the  officer  to  imagine  what  he  pleased.  We  drove  off  at  full 
speed,  and  were  soon  out  of  his  reach.  This  post  of  Fort  Anne 
was,  in  fact,  a  mere  block-house  surrounded  by  palisades.  It 
was  near  the  creek,  which  poured  down  the  r.ocks  into  the  basin 
below,  and  in  its  passage  turned  the  wheel  of  a  saw-mill.  We 
escaped  from  the  block-house  and  its  occupants,  and  reached 
our  home  without  further  molestation.  We  took  up  our  last 
load,  and  again  set  out  for  Ticonderoga,  which  we  reached  with- 
out incident.  But,  when  we  arrived  there,  some  apology  was 
indispensable  for  our  previous  conduct.  My  father,  albeit  unused 
to  play  the  orator,  acted  as  spokesman  for  the  delinquents.  As 
I  have  a  full  recollection  of  the  interview  with  Col.  Hay,  I  will 
give  the  particulars.  Wiping  his  forehead  with  the  back  of  his 
hand,  handkerchiefs  being  rather  scarce  in  those  days,  and  then 
straightening  his  locks  over  his  forehead,  he  gave  a  hem,  and  a 
nod,  and  then  observed  briefly,  and  to  the  point,  "  Well,  here 
we  are  again,  Col.  Hay."  —  "  Yes,  so  I  perceive,"  said  the  colonel  ; 
"  and  the  public  interests  have  suffered  severely  by  your  late 
conduct.  I  must  hold  you  responsible  for  the  consequences." 
My  father  instantly  replied,  "  I  have  no  objections  to  be  held 
responsible  :  my  urgent  business  is  now  finished.    My  word  is 


I  IO 


THE  TEAMSTERS  COME  TO  GRIEF. 


kept,  my  contract  is  finished.  You  can  take  any  course  the  law 
will  warrant"  Col.  Hay  knew  his  man.  He  immediately  ob- 
served, "  Give  me  your  word  that  the  sleighs  in  your  company 
shall  remain  to  assist  us  for  a  few  days,  and  I  am  satisfied." 
My  father  did  not  hesitate  to  give  the  required  promise,  as  he 
was  always  willing  to  aid  the  service,  and  he  well  knew  the 
necessity  of  completing  the  works  of  defence,  then  in  a  state  of 
preparation,  to  resist  the  approaching  enemy. 

"  '  The  rapid  change  of  the  weather  soon  rendered  our  sleighs 
a  while  useless,  and  our  return  home  necessary.  My  father  was 
again  the  organ  of  communication  ;  and  Col.  Hay  agreed  to  dis- 
charge the  whole  party,  if  three  pairs  of  horses  could  be  pur- 
chased at  fair  prices  for  the  service.  My  father  readily  undertook 
to  obtain  them,  and  a  general  muster  of  all  our  cattle  immedi- 
ately took  place.  The  object  was  then  explained ;  and,  as  he  had 
from  the  first  anticipated,  all  were  willing  to  sell.  The  three 
pairs  were  selected,  with  sleighs  and  harness.  The  highest  price 
paid  was  two  hundred  and  seventy  dollars.  The  money  was 
counted  out  to  them  from  a  store  of  Continental  currency.  The 
purchase  being  thus  effected,  we  came  away,  right  glad  to  be 
released  from  the  laborious  operation  of  dragging  over  hill  and 
dale  the  immense  pieces  of  timber  which  were  to  become  integral 
parts  of  the  defence  of  Ticonderoga. 

"  '  At  length  we  set  out  for  Skenesborough  ;  and  there  fresh 
trouble  awaited  us.  The  commanding  officer  remembered  the 
trick  we  played  him,  but  had  not  ventured  to  interrupt  us  on 
our  way  north,  loaded  as  we  were  with  important  supplies  for 
Ticonderoga.    Now,  however,  a  sergeant  and  file  of  men  took 


AN  OUTPOST. 


A  MOMENT  OF  MISERY.  1 1 3 

possession  of  our  "  pale  caravan."  We  were  compelled  by  the 
law  of  the  strongest  to  go  to  work  drawing  saw-logs  for  the 
confounded  little  saw-mill  I  have  before  mentioned.  Here  we 
tugged  away,  in  no  good  humor,  for  several  days,  when  my 
father's  generalship  again  brought  us  off  with  flying  colors.  The 
escape  from  our  new  tormentors  was  brought  about  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner  :  A  day  was  fixed  on  which  to  make  the  attempt. 
On  that  day  I  was  told  by  my  father  to  take  charge  of  the  pair 
of  horses  I  had  usually  under  my  care,  and  lead  them  into  the 
woods,  where,  in  a  certain  place,  covered  up  with  branches  of 
wood,  I  would  find  my  sleigh  ;  and,  that  done,  to  follow,  by  a 
given  route,  the  party  who  were  to  take  an  early  start.  I  did 
so  ;  leading  one  horse,  and  riding  the  other.  When  I  reached 
the  forest,  I  could  not  at  first  discover  the  place  where  our  sleigh 
was  concealed.  I  looked,  and  looked  in  vain.  Every  moment  I 
feared  the  long  absence  of  the  company  would  lead  to  inquiry 
and  detection.  They  were  all  well  gone  ;  and  I  was  left  alone, 
to  bear,  perhaps,  the  weight  of  increased  resentment.  My  father 
gone  too  !  The  idea  was  absolutely  frightful.  At  this  moment 
my  eyes  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  place  of  concealment.  I  moved 
off  at  a  brisk  pace  to  the  spot,  and  found  the  object  of  my 
search.  It  was  but  a  minute's  work  to  adjust  the  harness.  It 
took  but  another  to  get  my  horses  at  full  speed.  I  drove  them 
for  eight  miles  as  fast  as  they  would  go  ;  and  a  joyful  meeting 
it  was  when  I  overtook  my  friends.  They  had  left  me  behind 
for  the  purpose  of  making  good  their  retreat,  well  knowing  that, 
if  I  had  been  detected,  my  youth  would  have  saved  me  from 
any  difficulties,  and  have  prevented  my  detention.    My  escape, 


H4 


DfN.XER  IS  READY. 


however,  was  foremost  in  my  own  mind,  and  I  considered  myself 
almost  a  hero,  in  consequence  of  the  adventure.'  " 

"  Dinner  is  ready,  sir,"  said  a  voice,  as  Tom  read  the  last 
word. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

After  dinner  was  over, 
Mrs.  Longwood  proposed 
that  they  should  all  sit 
quietly  for  a  time,  and  get 
thoroughly  rested.  But 
this  proposition  the  young 
people  treated  with  scorn. 
They  had  done  nothing 
to  tire  them,  they  de- 
clared ;  and  they  did  not 
want  to  rest.  So,  leaving 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Longwood 
•comfortably  settled  on  the  sunny  porch  of  the  light-keeper's 
house,  they  all  ran  around  to  the  tall  white  tower,  and  began 
the  ascent  of  the  dark,  spiral  stairs.  Presently  they  came  troop- 
ing down  again,  as  restless  as  ever. 

"  It  must  be  getting  quite  late,"  said  Tom.  after  a  little  ; 
"  and  the  eight  miles  over  the  moors,  back  to  House  No.  2,  is 
over  a  rough  road.  The  twilight,  too,  falls  early  at  this  time  of 
the  year.  I  think,  mamma,  I  should  feel  easier  if  you  set  out 
on  your  homeward  drive  quite  soon." 


"5 


u6 


A  CHASE  ACROSS  THE  MOORS. 


"  Thanks  for  your  consideration,  Tom,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood, 
laughing.  "  I  fancy,  however,  that  I  detect  one  thought  for  me, 
and  two  for  yourself.  You  would  fain  be  back  on  your  schooner, 
I  fear." 

"  I  think,  though,  after  all,"  said  Lou,  "  that  Tom's  idea  is  a 
good  one.  We  could  walk  along  the  edge  of  the  cliff,  and  the 
stage  could  pick  us  up  whenever  we  felt  tired." 

The  girls  all  approved  of  this,  and  scampered  down  the 
hill  to  the  stable,  to  deposit  their  wraps  in  the  stage.  Then, 
waving  their  handkerchiefs  as  a  good-by  to  the  boys,  they 
chased  one  another  across  the  moors,  stopping  at  last,  breathless, 
on  the  crest  of  one  of  the  highest  swells,  to  look  back. 

"  Dear  me  !  "  said  Carrie,  "  I  forgot  all  about  mamma.  We 
ought  to  have  waited  for  her." 

"  Let  us  go  back,"  said  Rose. 

"  There  she  comes  out  of  the  house  now !  "  said  Gertrude, 
panting  for  breath  ;  "  and  she  is  walking  to  the  stables.  Now 
she  is  getting  into  the  stage,  and  the  man  is  bringing  out  the 
horses.    We'd  better  wait  here." 

Presently  the  stage  came  up  to  them,  and  Mrs.  Longwood 
got  out.  Then  they  strolled  on  together,  while  the  lumbering 
vehicle  followed,  with  much  creaking  of  harness  and  rattling  of 
joints,  as  it  jolted  over  the  rough  way. 

Their  run  had  put  them  all  out  of  breath,  so  that,  for  some 
little  time,  they  walked  along  sedately  enough.  But  of  a  sud- 
den they  came  to  a  break  in  the  cliffs,  where  an  easy  descent 
might  be  made  to  the  water's  edge. 

"  Let's  go  down,"  said  they  all.    "  May  we,  Mrs.  Longwood  ?" 


THE  FURTHER  ADVENTURES  OF  THE  WAGONER. 


11/ 


"  It  looks  perfectly  safe,"  said  that  lady.  "  I  will  have  our 
driver  take  one  of  those  buffalo-robes  off  the  seat  of  the  wagon, 
and  spread  it  out  for  me  in  this  hollow,  where  I  shall  be  shel- 
tered from  the  wind.  You  may  be  gone  as  long  as  you  please, 
provided  you  call  to  me  from  time  to  time,  to  let  me  know  that 
all  is  going  well." 


ALONG  THE  CLIFFS. 


So,  down  they  went ;  and  it  was  more  than  a  half-hour  be- 
fore they  re-appeared,  clambering  up  the  cliff's  side,  hot  and 
breathless. 

"  What  a  heat  you  are  all  in  !  "  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  Sit 
down  here  in  this  warm  nook,  and  cool  off  gradually,  and  I  will 
read  to  you  of  the  further  adventures  of  the  wagoner  of  whom 
we  heard  at  noon." 


THE  INDIANS  ARE  COMING. 


"Why,  you  have  brought  the  book  away  with  you  !  "  exclaimed 
Carrie,  in  astonishment. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood  :  "  I  persuaded  the  light-keeper 
to  sell  it  to  me. 

"  To  make  you  understand  clearly  what  I  am  going  to  read, 
I  will  give  you  a  little  bit  of  history.  During  the  Revolution, 
when  the  English  held  New- York  City,  it  was  planned  that  a 
British  army  should  march  from  Canada  down  Lake  Champlain, 
and  force  its  way  through  to  Albany,  where  the  New- York  army 
would  effect  a  junction  with  it." 

:  I  see,"  said  Lou.  "It  was  to  be  a  sort  of  Sherman's  march 
to  the  sea,  and  would  cut  the  Americans  in  two." 

"Exactly,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "Well,  the  army  assembled 
in  Canada,  under  Gen.  Burgoyne.  A  large  army  it  was,  too,  for 
those  days  ;  and  the  British,  beside,  had  a  great  following  of 
Indian  allies.  Many  was  the  council-fire  that  had  been  burned 
the  preceding  winter  ;  and  the  savages,  led  by  their  great  chief 
Brant,  were  wild  for  the  march  to  begin. 

"  So,  in  the  spring,  they  advanced.  The  Americans  fell  back 
from  Ticonderoga,  which  they  had  fortified,  and  the  British  came 
on  toward  Saratoga,  where  our  wagoner  lived.  And  now  I  will 
let  him  speak  for  himself. 

"  '  It  was  in  August,  and  we  had  just  risen  from  dinner. 
My  father  had  remained  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  invaders' 
army  much  longer  than  most  of  his  friends  ;  and,  relying  upon 
the  advantages  of  early  advice  from  our  army,  pursued  his  agri- 
cultural avocations  with  his  usual  diligence.  It  was  then,  when, 
as  I  have  before  mentioned,  we  were  just  risen  from  the  dinner- 


A  FRIGHTENED  NEGRO. 


119 


table,  when  one  of  my  uncle's  negroes  came  running  to  the 
house,  with  eyes  dilated.    We  learned  from  him  that  an  Indian 


INDIANS  COMING  TO  A  COUNCIL. 


had  been  discovered  in  the  orchard  near  the  house,  evidently 
intending  to  shoot  a  person  belonging  to  the  family,  who  was 


4 


120  THE  CLOTHES  ARE  HIDDEN  IN  A  CASK. 

at  work  in  the  garden  :  the  blacks,  however,  had  given  the 
alarm,  and  the  man  escaped  into  the  house,  while,  at  the  same 
moment,  six  other  savages  rose  from  their  place  of  concealment, 
and  ran  into  the  woods.  This  was  on  our  side  of  the  river. 
The  savages  that  remained  with  Burgoyne  were  continually  for 
miles  in  advance  of  him,  on  his  flanks,  reconnoitring  our  move- 
ments, and  beating  up  the  settlements.  Their  cruelty  was  not 
to  be  restrained.  My  father,  on  learning  the  fact  of  their  ap- 
proach, went  immediately  over  to  his  brother's  house,  which  was 
about  one- fourth  of  a  mile  off,  to  ascertain  what  was  to  be  done 
for  the  safety  of  the  families.  He  found  him  making  every  ex- 
ertion to  move  away,  and  the  domestics  busily  engaged  in  getting 
every  thing  ready.  During  my  father's  absence,  my  mother,  who 
was  a  resolute  woman,  was  industriously  placing  the  most  valuable 
of  her  clothing  in  a  cask ;  and  at  her  instance  I  went  out  with 
some  of  our  servants  to  catch  a  pair  of  fleet  horses,  and  harness 
them  as  fast  as  possible  to  the  wagon.  To  those  who  now  sit 
quietly  by  their  own  firesides,  I  leave  it  to  be  imagined  with 
what  feelings  we  hastened  to  abandon  our  home,  and  fly  for 
safety,  we  knew  not  whither. 

"  '  I  can  never  forget  the  distress  of  our  family  at  this  moment 
of  peril  and  alarm.  The  wagon  was  soon  at  the  door  ;  and,  as 
'my  father  came  up,  he  directed  us  to  carry  a  few  loads  down  to 
the  river,  and  place  them  in  a  light  bateau  which  belonged  to 
us,  and  was  fastened  to  the  shore,  at  the  meadow's  bank,  near 
the  ferry.  The  first  time  I  went  down  alone,  and  soon  unloaded 
the  contents  of  the  wagon.  The  distance  I  had  to  go  was  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile.    The  road  ran  down  the  meadow,  and  was 


WE  PREPARE  TO  ESCAPE. 


121 


cut  through  the  bank  on  the  river-side,  in  order  to  make  it  easy 
of  ascent.    Between  the  upland  and  lowland  of  our  farm,  there 


BRANT. 


was  a  board  fence,  and  a  few  bars  were  usually  placed  across 
the  road.  The  second  time,  having  some  heavier  articles  to 
carry,  I  was  accompanied  by  my  father.    As  we  approached  the 


122 


A  SUDDEN  ALARM. 


fence,  which  he  had  left  down,  we  saw  the  third  bar  across  the 
road,  so  as  effectually  to  prevent  our  passing  through.  "  What 
does  this  mean  ? "  exclaimed  he.  I  was  breathless  with  agitation, 
and  stopped  the  horses.  My  father  sprang  out,  making  an  ex- 
pressive motion  with  his  hand,  to  keep  back  for  a  few  moments. 
Warily  and  carefully  turning  his  eye  in  every  direction,  he  ap- 
proached the  bar,  and  let  it  down.  I  drove  on,  he  jumped  in, 
and  we  lost  no  time  in  hastening  home.  The  circumstance  gave 
us  great  uneasiness.  When  we  reached  home  he  made  minute 
inquiries  among  his  laborers  and  blacks,  if  any  of  them  had 
been  down  to  the  meadow.  He  found  that  none  of  them  had 
been  away  from  the  house.  He  then  formed  the  conclusion  that 
some  Indians  had  passed  along  that  way,  and  supposing  we  had 
crossed  the  river,  and  got  beyond  their  reach  (for  we  were  hid 
from  their  observation  by  being  under  the  bank  at  the  river- 
side), had  gone  away.  The  danger  was  so  near  as  to  induce 
him  to  make  more  speed,  and  use  greater  precaution.  A  gun 
was  loaded,  and  placed  in  my  hands  ;  and  I  patrolled  about  the 
house  with  a  feeling  of  some  responsibility.  I  strained  my  eye 
to  detect  the  least  appearance  of  motion,  presented  my  piece  at 
every  waving  bush,  but  was  not  under  the  necessity  of  dischar- 
ging it.  A  friendly  neighbor,  who  was  also  anxious  to  ascertain 
the  state  of  things,  came  up  at  this  time,  and  assisted  me  in 
keeping  guard.  My  father,  in  the  interim,  placed  the  family  in 
the  wagon.  He  also  buried  in  the  road  some  valuable  domestic 
utensils,  which  we  recovered  some  years  afterwards,  in  perfect 
preservation.  At  last  we  bade  adieu  to  our  homestead,  and 
arrived  safely  at  the  river.    At  about  five  o'clock  p.m.,  my  father 


FRESH  BREAD  AND  MUTTON. 


123 


crossed  over  with  the  family  at  the  ferry,  while  I  and  one  of 
the  blacks  were  put  into  a  small  canoe,  and  we  proceeded  down 
the  stream  as  fast  as  we  could  ply  our  paddles.  We  joined  the 
family  at  Vandenbergh's,  eight  miles  down  the  river,  where  we 
obtained  further  information.  We  learned  that  a  party  of  Indians 
had  been  going  from  our  neighborhood  to  the  south-east,  after 
surprising  a  farmer  by  the  name  of  Lake.  While  working  at 
his  trade  as  a  carpenter,  in  an  out-house  near  his  dwelling,  he 
was  surprised  by  the  salutation  from  the  savages,  of  "  Sago." 
With  great  presence  of  mind,  he  said  "  Sago,"  in  reply  to  them. 
He  saw  that  resistance  would  be  vain,  and  therefore  continued 
quietly  at  work.  They  looked  at  him  a  few  moments,  and  then 
went  towards  his  house,  but  took  nothing  from  it.  On  coming 
out,  they  discovered  an  oven  which  gave  signs  of  having  just 
been  heated.  They  opened  it,  and,  finding  it  full  of  bread,  took 
each  of  them  a  loaf.  In  a  field  adjacent,  a  sheep  came  straying 
near  them  ;  one  of  them  instantly  shot  it,  and  in  a  few  mo- 
ments it  was  cut  into  quarters,  and  carried  off.  Lake  was  a 
resolute  man,  and  observed,  if  he  could  only  have  had  any  chance 
with  them,  he  never  would  have  suffered  them  all  to  escape 
alive.  At  Vandenbergh's  we  found  my  father,  who  had  arrived 
there  first,  and  was  keeping  an  anxious  lookout  for  us  on  the 
shore. 

"  '  We  found,  on  landing,  a  number  of  people,  who,  like  our- 
selves, had  been  driven  from  their  homes.  We  passed  the  night 
amongst  them.  Some  obtained  accommodations  within  doors ; 
some  were  happy  to  be  under  the  cover  of  the  cattle-sheds  ; 
while  others  stretched  themselves  in  their  wagons,  and  endeavored 


124 


A  LONG  CAVALCADE  OF  WAGONS. 


to  snatch  a  few  moments  of  repose.  Early  in  the  morning  the 
sleepers  were  awakened,  and  no  fresh  rumors  alarmed  them  to 
any  very  hasty  movements.  Indeed,  my  father  rather  rashly  re- 
solved to  return  home,  accompanied  by  a  few  congenial  spirits, 
to  get  further  information  of  the  enemy,  and,  if  possible,  to 
save  some  of  his  cattle  and  farming-stock.  I  say  rashly,  as  Bur- 
goyne  was  expected  down  with  his  army  every  hour.  Soon  after 
he  was  gone,  the  whole  body  of  the  people  moved  off  towards 
Stillwater,  a  general  panic  now  prevailing  among  them,  which 
seemed  every  hour  to  increase.  My  father,  however,  safely  reached 
his  house,  and  succeeded  in  getting  off  part  of  his  stock.  He 
immediately  pushed  for  the  Hoosick  River,  which  he  intended 
Vo  cross,  and  then  pass  over  into  New  England.  Corresponding 
arrangements  had  been  made  on  our  part,  when  he  left  us,  to 
rejoin  him  there.  Our  procession  of  flying  inhabitants  wore  a 
strange  and  melancholy  appearance.  A  long  cavalcade  of  wagons, 
filled  with  all  kinds  of  furniture,  not  often  selected  by  the  owners 
with  reference  to  their  use  or  value  on  occasions  of  alarm, 
stretched  along  the  road  ;  while  others  on  horseback,  and  here 
and  there  two  mounted  at  once  upon  a  steed  panting  under  the 
double  load,  were  followed  by  a  crowd  of  pedestrians.  These 
found  great  difficulty  in  keeping  up  with  the  rapid  flight  of  their 
mounted  friends.  Here  and  there  would  be  seen  some  humane 
person  assisting  the  more  unfortunate,  by  relieving  them  of  the 
packs  and  bundles  with  which  they  were  encumbered  ;  but  gen- 
erally a  principle  of  selfishness  prevented  much  interchange  of 
friendly  offices.  Every  one  for  himself,  was  the  constant  cry. 
After  my  father's  departure,  he  committed  to  me  the  care  of  his 


A  BRAVE  AND  DESPERATE  WOMAN. 


127 


wagon  and  horses,  and  the  safe-conduct  of  my  mother  and  the 
family.  Unfortunately  for  me,  when  we  left  home  I  had  selected 
the  most  valuable  and  spirited  horses  ;  and  so  restive  did  I  now 
find  them,  that  they  completely  overcame  my  strength,  and  wearied 
my  patience.  They  were  continually  attempting  to  run  past  the 
wagons  ahead  of  me,  and  were  every  instant  making  an  effort 
to  get  off  the  road.  My  chafed  and  blistered  hands  could  no 
longer  restrain  them.  I  saw  that,  in  a  few  moments  more,  I 
should  be  unable  to  prevent  the  lamentable  consequences.  My 
mother  was  then  nursing  a  young  infant,  which  she  now  held  in 
her  arms,  and  felt  an  indescribable  anxiety  on  that  account.  She 
succeeded  in  making  a  person  who  came  alongside  of  us  sensi- 
ble of  our  distress,  and  hired  him  to  drive  the  horses  at  the  then 
dear  rate  of  a  shilling  a  mile  ;  but  he  soon  gave  up,  from  ina- 
bility to  control  them,  having  far  less  skill  than  myself.  In  this 
dilemma,  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  and  despair  in  her  looks,  she 
got  out  of  the  wagon,  and,  picking  up  a  stout  club  in  the  road, 
walked  on  for  many  miles  at  the  head  of  the  unruly  animals, 
and,  with  her  infant  on  one  arm,  actually  kept  them  back,  and 
restrained  them  from  breaking  the  line,  by  striking  them  over 
the  heads  with  the  stick  she  held  in  the  other.  And  so  great 
was  each  individual's  anxiety  for  himself,  that  not  a  person  in 
the  throng  offered  to  assist  her.  When  we  reached  Stillwater,  it 
was  evident  that  our  retreat  was  well-timed,  for  the  advance- 
guard  of  Gen.  Schuyler's  army  arrived  almost  as  soon  as  we 
did.  They  encamped  there  ;  and  the  increasing  confusion  and 
noise  every  moment  added  new  difficulties  to  those  we  already 
were  doomed  to  encounter.    We  remained  here  all  night,  as  it 


128 


A  NIGHT  OF  WRETCHEDNESS. 


was  our  intention  next  day  to  cross  the  river,  and  overtake  my 
father,  who,  by  this  time,  we  supposed  several  miles  on  his  way 
to  Massachusetts.  Some  of  his  brothers  also  agreed  to  take  the 
same  direction  ;  and  early  in  the  morning  we  crossed  the  river, 
and  travelled  a  whole  day  through  a  penetrating  rain,  and  over 
the  worst  of  roads.  We  had  gone  about  fifteen  miles  when 
darkness  overtook  us,  and  we  were  far  from  any  place  of  shelter. 
We  had  no  alternative  but  to  remain  there  till  morning ;  and, 
selecting  the  dryest  place  in  the  marsh,  where  we  were  fairly 
stuck  fast,  some  beds  were  taken  out  of  the  wagons,  and  laid 
on  the  ground.  On  these  my  mother  reposed,  if  the  wakeful 
and  comfortless  hours  could  be  said  to  have  been  repose.  We 
were  afraid  to  light  any  fire,  for  we  knew  the  woods  were  filled 
with  Tories  and  Indians.  To  our  hard  fate,  necessity  therefore 
compelled  us  to  submit.  Cold,  wet,  and  dreary  was  the  night : 
yet  it  was  not  without  its  consolation  ;  for,  before  morning  broke 
upon  our  wretched  bivouac,  my  father  arrived,  to  our  great 
astonishment  and  pleasure.  We  started  as  soon  as  it  was  light 
enough  to  travel,  and  that  day  reached  San  Coick,  in  the  south 
part  of  Cambridge,  where  we  were  received  by  some  distant 
connections  with  much  hospitality.'  " 

"  How  glad  they  must  have  been  to  see  him !  "  said  Kate. 
"  The  wagoner's  mother  must  have  been  of  the  same  stuff  as 
Jack's  great-grandmother,  I  should  imagine." 

"  Burgoyne  did  not  carry  out  his  great  scheme  of  dividing 
the  Americans,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  Attacked  on  all  sides, 
he  was  obliged  to  retreat,  and  at  last  surrender.  As  soon  as 
his  retreat  began,  our  wagoner  and  his  father  made  their  way 


A  THOUSAND  EASTERN  MILITIA. 


129 


back  to  their  home.  And  this  is  the  way  he  tells  of  their  home- 
coming :  — 

"  '  I  mentioned  that  my  father  had  arrived  with  the  news  of 
the  retreat.  The  intelligence  was  joyful  to  us.  He  ordered  the 
black  to  get  three  horses  ready  early  in  the  morning,  to  take  us 
back  to  Saratoga.  Our  sleep,  though  not  sound,  was  filled  with 
pleasant  dreams.  Early  as  the  day  dawned,  all  were  on  the 
move  but  my  mother,  who  remained  behind.  We  met  on  the  road 
great  numbers  of  wounded  men  belonging  to  both  armies.  A 
great  many  were  carried  on  litters,  which  were  blankets  fastened 
to  a  frame  of  four  poles.  I  never  saw  the  effects  of  war  until 
now.  The  sight  of  these  wretched  people,  pale  and  lifeless,  with 
countenances  of  an  expression  peculiar  to  gunshot-wounds,  and 
the  sound  of  groaning  voices  as  each  motion  of  the  litter  re- 
newed the  anguish  of  their  wounds,  filled  me  with  horror,  and 
sickness  of  heart. 

"  '  We  reached  the  American  camp,  and  drove  through  it  to 
the  bank  of  the  river  opposite  my  uncle's  farm.  We  got  out, 
and  walked  along  the  bank,  to  see  if  there  was  any  thing  to 
aid  us  in  getting  across.  My  father  luckily  recognized  a  Capt. 
Knute  of  the  bateau  men,  who  kindly  offered  us  the  use  of  a 
scow,  and,  indeed,  saw  us  safely  over  the  river.  We  drove  that 
night  to  our  own  home.  But  oh,  how  much  changed  !  It  looked 
like  a  military  post,  to  which  use  it  was  actually  converted.  A 
thousand  Eastern  militia  were  quartered  around  the  premises. 
We  began  to  think  we  had  not  gained  much  by  coming  on  at 
this  juncture.  My  father,  however,  entered  the  house  in  the 
dark,  and,  being  familiar  with  the  passages  and  rooms,  made  his 


ISO 


STIR,  HOYS,  CLEAR  THE  WAY. 


way  into  the  stove-room,  which  he  naturally  thought  would  be 
most  comfortable.  Having  brought  a  candle  from  the  wagon 
with  him,  he  deliberately  lighted  it  at  the  stove.  The  moment 
it  glimmered,  a  person  jumped  off  his  bed,  and  observed  to  my 
father  with  as  much  twang  as  was  agreeable,  "  You  seem  to  be 
considerable  acquainted  here."  My  father's  reply  was,  "  I  used 
to  be."  The  stranger  rejoined,  "  You  are  the  owner,  maybe  ? " 
My  father  answered,  "No!  I  find  some  here  before  me."  — 
"Oh,  well!"  continued  the  speaker,  "you  shall  be  accommodated." 
At  this  instant  the  steady  blaze  of  the  candle  showed  the  room 
to  be  occupied  by  a  number  of  persons,  and  there  appeared  no 
probability  of  our  receiving  the  promised  accommodation.  But 
he  spoke  as  one  having  authority,  when  he  exclaimed,  "  Stir, 
boys,  stir ;  clear  the  way  :  here  is  the  owner  come  !  "  They 
yawned  and  grunted,  and  got  out  of  the  way  with  unexpected 
good-nature.  He  also  placed  a  guard  over  our  wagon,  to  pro- 
tect it  from  invasion.  My  father,  in  order  to  return  his  civilities, 
brought  in  some  spirits  to  the  officer,  and  a  social  glass  was 
handed  round.  It  was  an  unexpected  happiness  to  the  kind- 
hearted  Yankee.  The  draught  was  repeated  until  sleep  came  to 
refresh  us  after  our  fatigues.  Stretched  on  pallets  of  straw,  we 
laid  ourselves  down  ;  and,  after  strange  vicissitudes  of  hope  and 
fear,  we  sunk  to  rest  once  more  in  our  own  house,  every  ill  and 
every  fatigue  forgotten.' 

"  Well,  we  had  better  be  on  our  homeward  way,"  said  Mrs. 
Longwood,  as  she  closed  the  book,  "  or  Tom's  fears  for  our 
safety  may  come  true,  after  all.  Shall  we  walk  on  a  little,  or 
get  into  the  stage  ?  " 


A  CAPTIVE  CLOUD-HORSE. 


"  The  road  leaves  the  cliffs  here  for  some  miles,"  said  their 
driver.    "  I  think  you  would  do  well  to  ride." 

So  in  they  all  clambered,  and  the  horses  set  out  on  a  jog- 
trot. It  was  such  a  beautiful  day,  that,  for  very  lightness  of 
heart,  the  girls  broke  out  singing.  Overhead  the  clouds  in  great 
white  masses  were  flying  before  the  fresh  wind.  Away  on  the 
horizon  a  full-rigged  ship  was  making  its  way  on,  every  stitch 
of  canvas  spread.  The  sun  made  its  sails  gleam  white  and 
sparkling,  so  that,  as  Carrie  said,  it  looked  like  a  captive  cloud. 

"  You  are  not  the  first  that  has  had  that  idea,"  said  Mrs. 
Longwood.    "  Did  you  ever  hear  this  ? 


A   SHIP   AT  SEA. 

Adown  the  sky  the  wild  cloud-horses  run, 

Tossing  their  glistening  manes  in  wanton  play ; 

Their  unshod  feet  no  hoof-marks  leave  behind, 

As  through  the  blue  sky  fields  they  hold  their  way. 

But,  look  !  down  where  the  ocean  meets  the  sky, 
A  captive  cloud-horse  wears  his  life  away ; 

Chained  to  a  huge  sea-plough,  and,  hapless,  doomed 
To  turn  a  never-ending  furrow  night  and  day. 

See  how  he  tugs  and  strains  to  burst  his  bonds, 

And  snorts  defiance  in  his  misery  ! 
Poor  wretch  !  his  spirit  broken  by  his  chains, 

The  first  brief  calm  he'll  die,  and  so  be  free." 


Meanwhile  the  stage  horses  had  not  been  idle.  Mile  after 
mile  of  moorland  they  had  left  behind  them  ;  and  now,  just  as 


132 


YO,  HO.'  FOR  THE  OPEN  SEA. 


ie  sun  was  sinking,  they  drew  up  in  front  of  the  little  h 
hence  they  had  set  out  in  the  morning. 

By  this  time  the  boys  were  well  out  at  sea.  They  had  r 
aste  to  board  "  The  Mavis,"  as  soon  as  Mrs.  Longwood  and 


MUNTAUK  FROM  THE  SEA. 


girls  had  started  on  their  homeward  way.  They  had  sailed  close 
by  the  cliffs,  where,  the  tide  now  being  out,  the  surf  was  much 
less  than  it  had  been.  Then  they  had  steered  out  into  the  open 
ocean,  and  the  land  was  now  nearly  fading  from  view. 


POGIES,   WHITE-FISH,  MENHADEN,  BONY-FISH, 


133 


And  yet  it  must  be  confessed  that  they  were  a  little  disap- 
pointed. They  had  rather  expected  some  adventure,  or  some 
strange  sensation  ;  and  all  had  been  as  tame  and  matter-of-fact 
as  could  be.  And  so  they  were  standing  around  in  a  rather 
discontented  state  of  mind. 

"  Fish  !  fish  ! "  cried  Jack,  who  was  looking  over  the  side. 
"  See,  there  are  thousands  !  " 

"  About  a  million  in  that  school,"  said  Thomas  John,  survey- 
ing them  critically. 

And,  indeed,  when  the  boys  looked  carefully,  they  could  see 
that  Thomas  John's  estimate  was  a  moderate  one.  Several  acres 
of  water  were  in  a  boiling  state  from  the  quick  swish  of  the 
fishes'  tails.  They  lay  as  closely  together,  Ned  said,  as  sardines 
in  a  box. 

"  What  are  they  ?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  Mossbunkers,"  said  Thomas  John,  "  pogies,  white-fish,  men- 
haden, bony-fish,  fat-backs,  alewives,  old-wife  chebogs,  hardheads, 
greentails.  There,  you  can  take  your  choice  of  names.  The 
same  fish  is  called  all  those  different  ways  on  different  parts  of 
the  coast." 

"  Are  they  good  for  any  thing  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

"  Some  folks  say,"  answered  Thomas  John,  "  that  they  are 
brought  into  the  world  to  be  eaten.  They  have  no  means  of 
defence,  and  so  can't  help  themselves.  When  we  make  a  haul 
from  shore,  we  often  bring  in  several  shark  with  them,  and  these 
have  each  half  a  bushel  of  bunkers  in  their  stomachs.  Then 
these  bony  whales  that  you  see  hereabouts  often,  —  I  am  told 
that  they  can  take  down  as  many  as  would  fill  a  hogshead,  at  a 


134 


FAT-BACKS,  ALE  WIVES, 


HARDHEADS,  GREENTAILS. 


gulp.  Porpoises  go  for  them  too,  and  dog-fish.  But  the  worst 
enemy  they  have  are  blue-fish.  Blue-fish  are  regular  pirates, 
sea-rovers,  who  kill  for  the  fun  of  it.  Why,  they  will  go  through 
:a  school  of  menhaden,  and  leave  a  streak  of  blood  behind  them. 
For  every  one  they  eat,  they  kill  a  hundred." 

"  When  you  haul  from  shore,  what  do  you  do  with  them  ?  " 
asked  Jack. 

"  Sell  them  for  manure,"  said  Thomas  John.  "  We  can't 
catch  enough  to  make  it  pay  to  make  oil.  There  are  no  end 
of  steamers,  though,  in  the  fishing  business,  who  carry  all  they 
catch  to  the  oil-factories." 

"  Have  you  any  idea  how  many  are  taken  in  this  way  ? " 
asked  Mr.  Longwood. 

"  I  have  heard  that  it  was  calculated  somewhere  about  seven 
hundred  millions  a  year,"  said  Thomas  John. 

"  Why,  I  should  think  they  would  begin  to  grow  scarce," 
said  Charlie. 

"  It  seems  a  good  many,"  said  Thomas  John  ;  "  but  the  fish- 
commissioner  at  Washington  has  made  an  estimate  of  how  many 
are  eaten  by  other  fishes.  I  s'pose  it's  guess-work,  mainly  ;  but 
still  they  get  a  good  many  statistics  in  Washington  to  go  on. 
It's  three  thousand  millions  of  millions." 

"If  the  fish  can  hold  their  own  against  such  destruction  as 
that,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  they  are  not  likely  to  be  lessened 
much  by  the  number  taken  by  man." 

"  I  suppose  the  steamers  take  them  with  seines,"  said  Ned. 

"  Oh,  yes  !  "  said  Tom.  "  Haven't  you  ever  seen  them  ?  They 
lie  off  the  beach  at  home,  sometimes,  by  dozens.    I  have  often 


s 


THE  FfSl)  ARE  SURROUNDED.  137 

made  out  all  their  operations  with  a  glass.  They  have  a  great 
seine,  which  is  kept  half  in  one  boat,  and  half  in  another. 
These  boats  row  away  from  one  another,  around  the  fish  in  a 
circle,  throwing  out  the  net  as  they  go,  until  they  meet.  Then 


A  MEETING  BY  NIGHT. 


the  ends  are  fastened  together.  The  fish  now  cannot  escape 
except  at  the  bottom,  and  they  have  a  way  of  stopping  that. 
All  along  the  bottom  of  the  net  are  sewed  rings,  and  through 


138 


THE  DAY  COMES  TO  AN  END. 


these  a  rope  runs.  The  men  haul  for  dear  life  on  this  rope 
until  the  bottom  is  drawn  tight  together,  and  the  fish  are  in  a 
bag.  Then  the  steamer  comes  alongside,  and  they  let  down  a 
big  iron  caldron  into  the  flopping  mass  ;  and  aboard  they  go, 
a  thousand  at  a  time." 

"  Aren't  they  good  to  eat  at  all  ?  "  asked  Charlie. 

"  Well,"  said  Thomas  John,  "  I  understand  that  they  are  put 
up  like  sardines,  and  that  there  is  quite  a  little  business  in 
shipping  them  salted  to  the  West  Indies  ;  but,  after  all,  it  doesn't 
amount  to  much.  A  good  many,  too,  are  sold  as  bait  to  the 
fishing-fleet  on  the  banks." 

The  school  was  soon  passed,  and  forgotten  in  the  excitement 
of  supper,  which  was  served  in  "  The  Mavis's "  little  cabin. 
Nothing  of  especial  interest  happened  during  the  evening,  except 
that  a  large  ship  passed  them,  within  easy  hail.  Her  stern,  as 
she  went  by,  showed  five  bright  cabin-lights,  and  made  their 
own  tiny  quarters  look  even  smaller  than  ever.  Small  as  they 
were,  though,  five  tired  and  sleepy  boys  found  them  very  com- 
fortable, as  each  stretched  himself  out  in  his  bunk,  and  pulled 
his  blanket  up  over  him.  They  were  still  out  of  sight  of  land, 
but  now  were  headed  homeward  ;  and  Capt.  Jackson  assured  them, 
that,  when  they  awoke  the  next  morning,  they  should  find  them- 
selves off  Fort  Pond  Bay. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


The  sun  was  only  a 
short  distance  above  the 
horizon  the  next  morn- 
ing, when  from  the  cabin 
might  have  been  seen 
emerging  two  scantily- 
robed  figures.  True  to 
his  promise,  Capt.  Jack- 
son had  brought  "  The 
Mavis "  around  to  her 
former  anchorage.  She 
now  lay  idly,  like  a  de- 
serted ship,  save  for  the 
one  man,  who,  huddled 
up  on  the  leeward  side  of  the  hatch,  was  seeking  solace  in  a 
short  black  pipe.  Her  boat  lay  alongside,  bumping  against  her, 
as  the  little  waves  lifted  it  up  and  down. 

"  I  say,"  said  Will,  drawing  about  him  a  rug,  and  thereby 
disclosing  a  bare  and  shivering  leg,  "  this  begins  to  look  less 
amusing  than  it  did  down  below.  The  water  must  be  awfully 
cold.    What  do  you  say  to  giving  it  up  ?  " 


140 


TOM  TAKES  A  HEADER. 


"  Nonsense !  "  said  the  other  scantily-clad  figure,  which  was 
Tom's,  "  it's  always  warmer  than  the  air.    Come  on  !  " 

The  man  who  was  on  duty,  hearing  their  voices,  came 
forward. 

"  Don't  you  think  the  water  is  warm  ?  "  asked  Tom. 

"  Well,  I  expect  it's  some  tepid,"  said  the  man. 

"  There,"  said  Tom,  "  I  told  you  so !  Come  on  :  I'll  give 
you  a  lead  ;  "  and,  dropping  his  rug,  he  leaned  forward,  and 
took  a  header.  In  a  moment  more  he  was  scrambling  up  into 
the  small  boat. 

"  Don't  miss  it  on  any  account,"  he  called  to  Will.  "  It's 
wonderful  !  "  But  the  moment  that  Will,  too,  took  a  header, 
and  disappeared,  he  scrambled  up  on  to  the  deck  with  the  greatest 
speed.  And  it  was  well  that  he  did  so,  for  the  next  instant  a 
clinched  fist  came  up  from  the  waves,  and  was  shaken  vigor- 
ously at  him,  while  its  owner  lost  no  time  in  scrambling  on 
deck. 

"  You  wretch  !  "  cried  Will,  as  he  wildly  rushed  toward  the 
•cabin,  near  which  Tom  was  standing,  grin  on  face,  and  towel 
in  hand.    "  WThy  didn't  you  tell  me  that  it  was  like  ice  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  want  to  spoil  your  fun,"  said  Tom  ;  and  he  attempted 
to  elude  Will's  grasp.  He  succeeded  ;  but  his  feet  slipped  out 
from  beneath  him,  and  he  disappeared  down  the  companion-way, 
and  arrived  in  the  cabin  in  a  sitting  position,  with  a  loud  crash. 

His  noisy  entrance  awoke  the  boys  and  Mr.  Longwood. 

"  I  remember,"  said  that  gentleman,  after  he  had  heard  of 
Tom  and  Will's  performance,  "  that  once,  when  I  was  crossing 
the  ocean,  I  went  to  take  my  morning  bath.    The  steward  had 


TEN  THOUSAND  NEEDLES. 


141 


it  all  drawn  for  me ;  and,  expecting  my  usual  delightful  experi- 
ence, I  plunged  in.  But  it  seemed  as  if  ten  thousand  needles 
were  sticking  into  me,  and  I  sprang  out  like  a  flash.  As  I 
raised  my  eyes  to  the  porthole,  I  saw,  hardly  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  away,  a  gigantic  iceberg.  I  used,  after  that,  to  look  out 
of  the  porthole  first." 

Breakfast  seemed  particularly  good  that  morning.  Possibly  it 
may  have  been  that  the  cook  was  an  adept  in  his  art ;  possibly 
it  may  have  been  that  the  sea-air  had  given  them  great  appe- 
tites. However  that  may  be,  they  lingered  so  long  over  it,  that, 
before  they  had  left  the  table,  Thomas  John  announced  that  the 
cattle-keeper's  boat,  with  the  ladies  on  board,  was  in  sight,  com- 
ing up  the  pond. 

And  before  long  the  whole  party  were  together  again,  and 
"  The  Mavis,"  with  all  sails  set,  was  flying  along  toward  New 
London. 

"  Come,  Jack,"  said  Rose,  after  a  time,  when  they  had  all 
settled  comfortably  down  on  a  mass  of  rugs  that  had  been  spread 
on  the  deck,  "  you  are  a  scholar  ;  tell  us  something  of  the 
country  to  which  we  are  going." 

"  The  climate  is  temperate,"  said  Jack,  quoting  glibly  from  an 
imaginary  geography ;  "  the  products  are  hay,  straw,  oats,  and 
wooden  nutmegs.  The  government  is  vested  in  a  governor, 
lieutenant-governor,  senate,  and  house  of  representatives." 

"  You  seem  to  be  very  well  up  in  your  facts,  Master  Jack," 
said  Mr.  Longwood  :  "  tell  us  if  there  were  ever  two  persons 
governors  of  Connecticut  at  the  same  time." 

"  Let  me  think,"  said  Jack  meditatively,  assuming  a  grave  air. 


142 


NIEGOR  MAN  TO  GOVERNOR  SKENE. 


"  I  don't  recall  the  circumstance,  nor  can  I  recall  having  met 
with  the  subject  in  my  large  and  varied  course  of  reading." 

"  Well,"  laughed  Mr.  Longwood,  "  I  fear  that  your  reading 
must  have  been  misdirected.  In  the  good  old  times,  as  some 
people  call  them,  before  the  Revolution,  when  Connecticut  was 
a  slave-holding  State,  it  was  the  custom  for  the  negroes  to  elect 
their  governor,  as  well  as  their  masters  ;  and,  though  he  did  not 
have  all  the  perquisites  of  the  white  governor,  he  was  treated 
with  the  greatest  respect  by  all  his  colored  brethren.  The  proc- 
lamation that  one  of  these  negro  governors  put  forth  created 
quite  an  excitement  on  one  occasion.    It  was  this  :  — 

Hartford,  nth  May,  1776. 

I  Governor  Cuff  of  the  Niegro's  in  the  province  of  Connecticut,  do  Resign 
my  Govermentshipe,  to  John  Anderson  Niegor  Man  to  Governor  Skene. 

And  I  hope  that  you  will  obeye  him  as  you  have  Done  me  for  this  ten 
year's  past,  when  Colonel  Willis'  Niegor  Dayed  I  was  the  next.  But  being  weak 
and  unfit  for  that  office  do  Resine  the  said  Governmentshipe  to  John  Anderson. 

I  :  John  Anderson  having  the  Honour  to  be  appointed  Governor  over  you  I 
will  do  my  utmost  endevere  to  serve  you  in  Every  Respect,  and  I  hope  you  will 
obey  me  accordingly. 

JOHN  ANDERSON  Governor 

over  the  Niegors  in  Connecticut. 

Witnesses  present, 

The  late  Governor  Cuff,  Hartford, 
Quackow, 

Petter  Wadsworth, 
Titows, 
Pomp  Willis, 
John  Jones, 
Fraday. 


"  Now,  Gov.  Skene,  to  whom  John  Anderson  was  '  Niegor 


GOVERNOR  ANDERSON  OFFERS  TO  TREAT. 


143 


Man,'  was  a  great  Tory.  He  was  in  Hartford  on  his  parole, 
for  it  was  in  the  early  days  of  the  Revolution  ;  and  it  was  at 
once  suspected  that  he  had  concocted  a  plot  by  which  all  the 
slaves  should  kill  their  masters.  So  he  was  summoned  before 
the  officials,  and  great  examinations  were  held." 

"  And  did  they  find  out  any  thing  ?  "  asked  Rose. 

"  If  I  remember  rightly,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  it  was  dis- 
covered that  Gov.  Cuff  abdicated  on  Gov.  Anderson's  offering  to 
treat  to  the  amount  of  twenty  dollars.  Gov.  Anderson  lamented 
loudly  that  the  treating  had  cost  him  twenty-five  dollars,  and 
considered  himself  an  injured  man." 

"  Connecticut,"  said  Jack,  "  was  where  Gen.  Putnam  came 
from.  He  was  a  fine  fellow.  When  he  was  a  young  man,  there 
was  a  wolf  "  — 

At  this  point,  however,  our  young  friend  stopped  short,  for  a 
smile  was  on  every  countenance. 

"  We  think  we  have  all  heard  that  story,"  said  Charlie  apolo- 
getically, and  Jack  subsided. 

"  There  is  another  story  about  Putnam,  though,"  said  Tom, 
"  that  I  don't  believe  you  have  heard.  He  was  marching,  at  one 
time,  under  Gen.  Amherst,  to  attack  the  French  in  Canada. 
The  troops,  late  on  an  afternoon,  reached  a  lake,  which  it  was 
necessary  they  should  cross.  But  there,  sailing  up  and  down, 
was  an  armed  French  vessel,  ready  to  attack  them  the  moment 
they  attempted  it. 

"  Putnam  went  to  Gen.  Amherst.  '  We  must  capture  that 
vessel,'  said  he. 

"  Gen.  Amherst  was  of  the  same  mind  ;  but  how  to  do  it 
Avas  the  question. 


144  PUTNAM  MAKES  A  CAPTURE. 

"  '  Give  me,'  said  Putnam,  '  half  a  dozen  picked  men,  a  mallet, 
and  some  wedges,  and  I'll  take  her.' 

"  Amherst  didn't  quite  see  how  he  was  to  capture  a  ship 
with  a  mallet  and  wedges  ;  but  he  told  him  that  he  should  have 
them.  In  the  middle  of  the  night  Putnam  and  his  men  stole 
softly  out  in  a  small  boat,  and,  under  cover  of  the  darkness, 
drove  the  wedges  in  back  of  the  vessel's  rudder,  so  that  it  could 
not  move.  As  soon  as  daylight  came,  the  troops  began  to  get 
on  the  rafts  and  bateau  that  were  to  take  them  across,  and 
the  Frenchman  hoisted  his  sail  to  attack  them.  But,  somehow, 
his  craft  wouldn't  behave.  She  just  blew  along  over  the  water ; 
and,  before  he  knew  it,  he  was  ashore,  and  a  party  of  the  enemy 
were  aboard  and  in  possession." 

"  I  say,"  called  out  Jack  presently,  returning  from  a  tour  into 
the  bows,  "  I  can  ^ee  the  light-house  off  New  London  harbor." 

"  New  London  was  a  stirring  town  during  the  Revolution," 
said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  Before  the  war  broke  out  she  had  a  large 
shipping- trade  with  the  West  Indies  and  Mediterranean  ports. 
But  the  British  cruisers  soon  put  an  end  to  that.  And  so  she 
became  the  headquarters  of  privateersmen.  You  remember  how 
Capt.  Dayton  brought  his  prizes  there.  Well,  he  was  only  one 
of  hundreds.  Woe  to  the  English  transport  or  merchant-vessel 
that  fell  behind  her  convoy  as  she  entered  the  Sound  !  A 
low,  swift-sailing  craft  suddenly  crept  out  from  shore,  and,  before 
her  escort  could  help,  compelled  her,  by  the  logic  of  cold  lead, 
to  haul  down  her  flag,  and  surrender.  At  times  the  warehouses 
of  New  London  were  crammed  with  English  goods,  taken  in  this 
way. 


THEIR  HEARTS  IN  THEIR  MOUTHS. 


145 


"  But  the  New-London  people  did  not  have  it  all  their  own 
way.  Half  of  the  time  they  lived  with  their  hearts  in  their 
mouths  ;  for  the  harbor  defences  were  practically  worthless,  and 
there  was  nothing  to 
have  prevented  a  British 


fleet  anchoring-  before 
the  town,  and  blowing 
it  to  pieces.  And  many 
a  time  the  good  citizens 
thought  the  hour  had 
come,  when  they  saw 
frigate  after  frigate  com- 
ing to  anchor,  and  furl- 
ing their  sails  off  the 
harbor  mouth.  Many  a 
time  the  alarm-guns  to 
rouse  the  country  about 
sounded,  but  the  enemy 
sheered  off,  and  went 
elsewhere.  But  at  last, 
when  they  had  grown 
bold,  and  least  expected 
it,  the  blow  fell.  The 
British  came,  and  burned 
the  town." 

"  I    remember   reading   about   it,  not   long  ago,"  said  Will. 
"  It  was  Arnold  the  traitor  who  led  the  British,  was  it  not  ?  " 
"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.    "Go  on,  and  tell  the  story." 


FURLING  THEIR  SAILS. 


146 


THE  TRAITOR  SETS  SAIL. 


"  Well,"  said  Will,  "  if  I  remember  rightly,  Arnold  made  the 
point  of  assemblage  for  his  vessels  somewhere  on  the  Long- 
Island  shore,  perhaps  near  where  we  started  from  in  the 
morning. 

"  As  soon  as  it  was  dusk  they,  set  sail,  intending  to  reach 
New  London,  and  make  the  attack  in  the  night,  before  the 
militia  could  be  summoned  to  the  aid  of  the  town.  But  just  as 
they  reached  the  harbor  mouth,  a  little  after  midnight,  the  wind 
hauled,  and  they  could  not  enter,  but  had  to  beat  off  and  on, 
waiting  for  daylight. 

"  With  the  first  dawn  they  were  seen ;  and  the  alarm-guns 
from  the  forts  began  to  echo  over  the  country-side,  rousing  the 
militia  to  their  aid." 

"  The  signal  for  danger,"  interrupted  Mr.  Longwood,  "  was 
two  guns.  Three  meant  the  arrival  of  a  prize,  or  good  news. 
The  enemy  had  learned  this  ;  and,  whenever  the  forts  fired  two 
guns,  one  of  their  ships  added  a  third,  so  as  to  confound  the 
signals." 

"  It  was  ten  o'clock  before  the  British  made  a  landing,"  went 
on  Will  ;  "  and  by  that  time  the  militia  had  begun  to  come  in. 
But  a  parcel  of  half-disciplined  farmers  could  do  nothing  against 
well-drilled  regulars.  They  fired  from  behind  fences,  and  every 
now  and  then  a  rebel  bullet  reached  its  mark,  and  brought  down 
a  man  ;  but  the  militia  were  practically  helpless,  and  the  English, 
with  the  traitor  at  their  head,  marched  forward,  and  took  the 
town." 

"  Arnold  was  doubly  a  traitor  on  this  expedition,"  said  Mrs. 
Longwood  ;  "for  he  was  born  only  a  few  miles  from  New  Lon- 


A  SCENE  OF  TERROR. 


H7 


don,  and  no  doubt  had 
known  the  town  for 
years,  so  that  it  was 
his  own  native  place  he 
was  destroying." 

"  You  can  imagine 
the  excitement,"  Will 
continued,  "  when  it  was 
known  that  the  British 
were  really  at  hand. 
Wagons  were  hastily 
loading;  women  and 
children  half  wild  with 
terror  rushed  here  and 
there,  and  then  made 
their  way  to  the  open 
country,  whence  they 
watched  the  flames  that 
made  them  homeless. 

"  The  people  had 
hoped  that  the  town 
might  escape ;  but  this 
was  not  Arnold's  inten- 
tion. The  warehouses, 
shops,  dwellings,  were 
soon   in  a  blaze,  while 


A  REBEL  HULLET. 


he  watched  it  all  from  the  steeple  of  the  meeting-house.  Among 
the  townspeople  were  many  old  acquaintances.     He  even  took 


1 4« 


A  FORTUNATE  CHANGE  OF  WIND. 


dinner  with  one  of  them  ;  but  before  he  rose  from  the  table  the 
house  had  been  fired,  and  he  left  it  wrapped  in  flames." 

"What  an  old  scamp  he  must  have  been!  "  said  two  or  three  ; 
and  Ned  added,  "  After  all,  the  British  must  have  lost  more 
men  than  the  patriots,  for  they  had  the  advantage  of  firing  only 
from  cover,  and  did  not  once  meet  them  in  the  open." 

"  Ay,  but,"  said  Will,  "  there  was  some  of  the  bloodiest  fight- 
ing in  the  whole  war  on  the  other  side  of  the  harbor.  You  see, 
there  were  a  lot  of  sail,  great  and  small,  in  port,  and  Arnold 
meant  to  make  a  clean  sweep  of  them  all.  There  was,  among 
others,  a  large  ship,  '  The  Hannah,'  which  had  been  brought  in 
as  a  prize,  and  was  unloading.  These  vessels  would  naturally 
all  go  up  the  river,  where  the  British  could  not  follow,  and 
escape.  But  the  wind  was  dead  against  them,  so  that  they  could 
not.  Arnold  had  foreseen  all  this,  and  so  he  had  landed  men 
on  each  side  of  the  harbor  mouth,  and,  while  one  party  was 
burning  the  town,  the  other  was  marching  to  get  above  the 
shipping.  They  almost  made  it  out  ;  but,  just  at  the  right  mo- 
ment, with  the  change  of  the  tide,  the  wind  changed,  and  all 
that  lay  in  the  stream  hoisted  sail,  and  fled  in  safety. 

*'  Now,  as  this  detachment  of  the  British  marched  along,  they 
came  to  Fort  Griswold.  In  it  were  only  a  hundred  and  fifty 
militia  ;  but  they  refused  to  surrender  when  challenged,  though 
the  enemy  outnumbered  them  ten  to  one.  Then  began  a  fight 
that  was  a  fight  in  earnest.  The  militia,  with  grape-shot,  swept 
down  whole  ranks  of  the  enemy,  killing  their  two  commanding 
officers  at  the  first  fire.  But  the  odds  were  too  unequal.  The 
British  poured  over  the  works,  and  the  fort  was  theirs.  They 


ARNOLD  VIEWING  THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  TOWN. 


FALL  BACK  TO  THE  SHIPS. 


151 


must  have  been  fiends,  and  they  were  led  by  a  fiend  ;  for,  when 
the  American  colonel  surrendered  his  sword,  the  wretch  seized  it, 
and  plunged  it  into  his  heart.  The  soldiers,  angered  at  the 
unexpected  resistance  they  had  met,  acted  like  so  many  wild 
beasts,  and,  falling  upon  the  Americans  who  had  laid  down  their 
arms,  cut  them  down  in  cold  blood,  firing  upon  them  in  platoons, 
and  despatching  the  wounded  with  their  bayonets.  It  could 
never  be  found  out  who  was  the  officer  who  allowed  it  all." 

"  The  whole  conflict  at  Fort  Griswold  was  totally  unnecessary," 
.said  Mr.  Longvvood.  "The  British  did  not  intend  to  hold  New- 
London  ;  and  the  fort,  after  they  had  possession  of  the  town, 
■was  of  no  earthly  use.  Two  or  three  hundred  men  were  killed 
and  wounded  through  sheer  stupidity.  They  had  hardly  gained 
possession  of  the  fort,  too,  before  they  began  to  see  that,  if 
they  wished  to  get  away  in  safety,  they  must  make  all  speed. 
For  the  news  of  their  landing  had  spread,  and  all  over  the 
country  the  militia  were  coming  in  by  the  hundreds.  Bullets 
from  unseen  rifles  began  to  fly  among  the  red-coats,  and  make 
them  long  to  be  back  on  their  ships.  So  they  made  haste  to 
gather  about  the  shore. 

"  Before  they  left,  though,  they  determined  to  blow  up  what 
was  left  of  the  fort.  They  had  recovered  from  their  madness 
by  this  time,  and  prepared  to  remove  the  wounded  first,  though 
after  a  barbarous  fashion.  Getting  an  ammunition-wagon,  they 
piled  them  in  on  top  of  one  another,  regardless  of  their  groans. 
Then  some  twenty  soldiers  dragged  the  wagon  along  toward 
the  crest  of  the  hill,  at  the  foot  of  which  was  a  house  in 
which  they  could   be   left.     But   the   hill  was   steep,  and  the 


152 


A  HARDY  MILITIAMAN. 


wagon  heavy  ;  the  men  could  not  hold  it  back.  Leaping  aside, 
they  let  it  go  Down  it  went,  faster  and  faster,  bumping  over 
rocks  and  stones,  until  at  the  foot,  when,  under  full  headway,  it 
crashed  against  an  apple-tree,  and  came  to  a  sudden  halt.  The 
screams  and  cries  of  the  wounded  men  were  heard  across  the 
harbor,  and  several  died  outright  from  the  shock. 

"  By  this  time  it  was  sunset,  and  the  British  embarked,  and 
dropped  down  the  harbor,  watching  to  see  the  fort  fly  into  the 
air  ;  for  they  had  laid  a  train  to  the  magazine,  and  had  fired  it. 
But,  though  they  looked  and  looked,  the  fort  never  moved,  much 
to  their  disgust  and  astonishment.  Arnold,  in  his  report,  was 
very  severe  on  the  artillery-officer  whose  work  failed ;  but  it 
was  not  the  officer's  fault.  The  train  was  burning  fast,  when  a 
hardy  militiaman  made  his  way  in,  and,  seeing  the  danger,  rushed 
to  the  pump,  and,  filling  an  old  cartridge-box  with  water,  put 
out  the  fire,  and  saved  the  fort." 

Just  at  this  time  Jack,  who  had  not  been  paying  much 
attention  to  Mr.  Longwood's  and  Will's  story,  came  aft,  and,  seat- 
ing himself,  remarked  abruptly,  "  I  say,  here's  larks !  Dinner's 
been  ready  for  ten  minutes,  and  cookie's  in  a  stew  !  " 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  they  all. 

"  The  cabin  won't  begin  to  hold  us  ;  and  he  hasn't  plates 
and  things  enough  to  go  around  in  such  a  crowd." 

"  Why  should  we  go  into  the  cabin  ?  "  said  the  girls.  "  Let's 
call  it  a  picnic,  and  have  dinner  on  deck ;  and  then  it  will  be  a 
good  joke,  not  having  dishes  enough." 

So  they  all  went  forward,  much  to  the  cook's  embarrassment. 
His  black  face  was  screwed  up  into  a  comical  knot  in  his  per- 


TTTE  BURNING  OF  NEW  LONDON. 


A  HASTY  PLATE  OF  SOUP. 


'55 


plexity.  "  'Pears  like  I  don't  see  how  ye're  to  eat  dis  yer  soup, 
nohow,"  he  said. 

The  soup  smelled  very  nicely,  and  boys  and  girls  were  very 
hungry.    "  How  many  soup-plates  have  you  ?  "  asked  Rose. 

Jack  hastened  to  explain  that  there  were  no  soup-plates  at 
all,  but  that  there  were  six  bowls. 

"  Tumblers  for  the  rest  of  us,"  cried  Ned,  seized  by  a  sudden 
inspiration. 

So,  this  difficulty  being  over,  the  soup  was  soon  disposed  of. 
After  that  the  other  courses  were  more  easily  managed  ;  for 
"  The  Mavis's  "  stock  of  plates  and  other  articles,  though  small, 
was  yet  enough  to  go  around,  with  a  little  ingenious  assistance. 
The  cook  had  evidently  a  pretty  thorough  idea  of  what  hungry 
boys  and  girls  could  do  ;  for  one  good  thing  appeared  after 
another,  until,  at  last,  peaches  and  raisins  ended  the  meal. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


EANTIME  "The  Mavis"  had  been 
making   good    progress.     She  had 
passed  the  light-house  and  the  great 
hotel  buildings,  and  had  glided  up 
the  harbor;   and,  just  as  Jack  was 
surreptitiously  sweeping  the  last  of 
the    raisins    into    his    pocket,  she 
rounded   the   point   on  which  Fort 
Trumbull   stands,  and   dropped  her 
anchor  before  the  town. 
A  small  boat  shot  out  at  once  from  one  of  the  piers,  and 
came  alongside  ;   and  a  young  man  in  it  touched  his  hat  to  Mr. 
Longwood,  and  scrambled  up  the  schooner's  side. 

"  You  are  very  prompt,  sir,"  he  said.  "  I  have  only  just 
arrived." 

Mr.  Longwood  led  the  way  to  the  cabin,  and  the  young  man 
followed.  Presently  he  came  out  again,  and  said,  "  I  thought 
that  only  my  signature  was  wanted  ;  but  I  find  that  there  is 
work  here  that  will  take  me  two  or  three  hours.  You  had  all 
better  go  ashore,  and  enjoy  yourselves." 

So,  after  a  brief  consultation,  it  was  decided  that  they  should 


.56 


THEY  MAKE  A  LANDING. 


157 


land  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  where  the  fight  that  we  have  just 
heard  of  took  place,  and  visit  the  remains  of  the  old  fort.  It 
was  necessary  that  the  boat  should  make  two  trips  to  take  them 
all  :  so  Ned,  Tom,  and  Will,  with  three  of  the  girls,  went  first. 
While  the  boat  went  back  for  the  rest,  they  began  to  climb,  and  \ 


LOADING  AND  UNLOADING. 


presently  reached  the  top  of  the  hill.  Somewhat  out  of  breath,  they 
waited  for  the  others  to  come,  before  they  should  begin  their  ex- 
plorations. They  had  with  them  a  glass,  and  through  it  they  could 
see  the  piers  of  the  town  plainly,  with  schooners  lying  along- 
side, taking  in  and  discharging  cargo.  Presently  they  cast  their 
restless  eyes  about  them.    Not  far  away,  on  an  old  stone,  was 


i58 


THE  HISTORY  OF  MOSES. 


seated  a  man  with  his  back  toward  them,  smoking  a  pipe.  His 
shabby  coat  showed  that  his  circumstances  were  not  of  the  best. 
"  Let's  go  and  talk  to  him,"  said  Tom. 

So  he  and  Will  strolled  over.  As  they  came  near,  the  man 
removed  his  pipe,  not  noticing  their  approach,  and  began  to 
sing  a  song  in  a  low  tone.    The  boys  stopped  to  listen. 

Whin  Pharaoh's  daughther  wint  down  to  the  wather, 

Sure  there  was  young  Moses  a-shwimmin'  around 
In  his  arruk  all  so  handy,  wid  a  shtick  of  swate  candy, 

To  kape  him  from  cryin'  ontil  he  was  found. 

Says  she  to  a  maithen,  says  she,  "  Bring  yon  haythen, 

Your  trotters  be  shakin',  ye  lazy  spalpeen  ; 
If  the  wathers  wance  wet  him,  or  the  crockodiles  get  him, 

It's  no  crockodile  tears  ye'll  be  sheddin',  I  ween." 

So,  whin  from  his  shwimmin'  he  was  brought  to  the  wimmin, 
Faith,  it  shows  how  the  blarney's  a  famale's  chafe  joy, 

A  nate  bow  he  was  makin',  as  sure  as  I'm  spakin' ; 
"  Begorra  !  "  says  she,  "  he's  the  broth  of  a  boy." 

"  He  seems  to  have  attended  Sunday  school  in  his  youth," 
said  Will,  as  the  singer  broke  off  abruptly,  to  put  his  pipe  back 
into  his  mouth. 

The  man  heard  his  voice,  and  turned  around.  "  Long  life  to 
your  honors,"  he  said,  rising. 

"  That's  quite  a  nice  song  you  were  singing,"  said  Will. 
'*  Where  did  you  learn  it  ?  " 

"  It  was  injuced  by  me  own  circumsthances,"  said  the  man. 


THE  REST  OF  THE  PARTY  ARRIVE. 


159 


"  I  was  lookin'  at  that  bit  of  wather  just  fornint  yez,  and  wishin' 
Moses  had  left  his  boat  whin  he  got  through  wid  it  ;  for  how  I 
am  to  get  across,  I  doan  know,  be  raison  that  I  have  niver  so 
much  as  a  pinny,  and  the  fare  is  five  cints  on  the  boat.  On- 
less,"  he  added,  with  a  grin,  "  ye  may  be  a  brother  of  Pharaoh's 
daughther,  and  inclined  to  hilp  a  poor  man  a  bit,  like  your 
sister  did  wid  Moses." 

Will  laughed,  and  gave  him  a  small  coin  ;  and,  with  another 
41  Long  life  to  your  honors  !  "  he  set  out  briskly  for  the  ferry. 

By  this  time,  Mrs.  Longwood  and  the  rest  of  the  party  had 
arrived,  and  together  they  strolled  about  the  hill-top.  There  was 
not  much  to  see,  though,  beside  the  view  :  so,  after  a  little,  they 
sat  themselves  down  on  a  grassy  knoll,  and  two  or  three  began 
to  urge  Mrs.  Longwood  to  tell  them  more  about  Arnold  and  his 
crime. 

"  It  is  not  a  pleasant  subject,"  said  that  lady ;  "  but  it  is  a 
good  thing  for  every  boy  and  girl  to  know  the  story  of  that 
traitor,  and  how  his  acts  recoiled  on  his  own  head,  and  left  him 
despised  alike  by  friends  and  foes. 

"  Arnold  was  born  some  ten  or  a  dozen  miles  from  where 
we  now  are,  on  the  very  river  Thames  that  we  see  winding  be- 
neath us.  He  grew  up  to  be  a  man  among  the  stirring  scenes 
that  preceded  the  Revolution,  in  the  days  of  the  Stamp  Act, 
and  other  attempts  at  oppression  by  the  mother  country.  He 
was  a  thorough  patriot.  When  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Lex- 
ington came,  he  was  in  business  in  New  Haven.  He  summoned 
the  guards  of  which  he  was  captain,  and  called  for  volunteers  to 
march  with  him  to  Cambridge.    Sixty  men  stepped  forward.  He 


i6o 


PRODUCE  THE  KEYS. 


demanded  arms  and  ammunition  of  the  selectmen.  But  these 
worthies  were  not  accustomed  to  such  rapidity  of  action  :  they 
said  that  he  would  do  better  to  wait  a  little,  for  regular  orders. 
Arnold  marched  his  men  to  the  house  where  they  were  assem- 
bled, and  sent  in  word,  that,  if  the  keys  of  the  magazine  were 
not  produced  in  five  minutes,  his  men  should  break  in  the 
doors.  The  keys  were  produced  ;  and  the  company,  well  armed 
and  equipped,  set  out  at  once." 

"  What  an  energetic  fellow  he  must  have  been  !  "  said  Charlie. 

"  He  was,  indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  No  sooner  had 
he  and  his  men  arrived  in  camp  than  he  proposed  to  the  authori- 
ties a  plan  for  seizing  Fort  Ticonderoga." 

"  Why,  that  is  where  the  wagoner  went,"  said  Carrie. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood  ;  "  but  the  wagoner  was  two  or 
three  years  later.  Well,  the  authorities  fancied  Arnold's  plan ; 
and  they  made  him  a  colonel,  with  power  to  recruit  four  hun- 
dred men.  So  he  set  out  to  the  western  part  of  Massachusetts 
to  raise  his  men  ;  but,  when  he  reached  there,  he  found  that  a 
party  of  Green-Mountain  Boys  under  Ethan  Allen  had  already 
started  for  the  same  purpose.  He  went  after  them,  and,  showing 
his  commission,  claimed  the  command.  But  the  Vermonters  did 
not  know  him,  and  would  not  obey  him.  They  would  fight  under 
their  own  leader,  or  go  home.  Arnold,  however,  went  on  with 
them  ;  and  he  and  Ethan  Allen  were  side  by  side  at  the  head 
of  the  men,  when,  in  the  gray  morning,  the  troops  seized  the 
fort,  and,  waking  up  the  commander  from  his  sleep,  demanded 
his  surrender  in  the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah  and  the  Conti- 
nental Congress. 


THE  MARCH  ON  CANADA. 


"  Arnold's  reputation  was  now  established  as  a  bold  and 
•daring  man,  and  one  who  could  rouse  his  followers  to  enthusi- 
asm. And  so  he  was  chosen  to  lead  one  of  the  most  dangerous 
expeditions  of  the  whole  war.  Its  plan  was  this.  Here,"  said 
Mrs.  Longwood,  drawing  with  her  parasol  an  imaginary  map  on 
the  grass,  "  is  Montreal,  and  here  Quebec,  which  were  occupied 
by  the  British.  Now,  an  American  army  was  on  its  way  to 
Canada,  to  attack  these  cities.  It  was  marching  northward  by 
way  of  the  lakes,"  and  she  pointed  out  their  course.  "  It  was 
proposed  that  Arnold  should  lead  a  force  to  join  them.  His 
route  was  to  be  through  Maine.  No  one  but  Indians  had  ever 
passed  through  these  northern  wilds;  but  it  was  thought  that  his 
army  might  ascend  the  Kennebec  River  in  scows,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, then  strike  across  country  to  the  head  waters  of  the 
Chaudiere,  down  which  they  could  float  to  the  St.  Lawrence. 

"  Arnold's  men  were  bold  and  hardy.  Three  companies  were 
from  Western  Virginia,  —  men  who  had  seen  rough  service  on 
the  Indian  frontier,  —  the  rest  were  rugged  farmers  used  to  all 
manner  of  toil  and  exposure.  Full  of  determination  they  set 
out,  and  were  soon  lost  to  sight  in  the  forest." 

"  It  must  have  been  glorious  fun,  though,  making  their  way 
up  the  rivers,  and  camping  in  the  Maine  woods !  "  said  Tom. 
"  Just  think  of  it,  fellows  :  salmon,  and  trout,  and  deer,  and  all 
that  sort  of  thing." 

"  These  men  did  not  go  for  a  lark,  as  you  would  call  it," 
said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  They  had  to  pole  great  heavy  bateaux 
against  the  current  all  day,  sometimes  stopping  to  carry  the 
baggage  on  their  backs  around  rapids.    When  night  came,  they 


164  A  SUDDEN  COLD  BATH. 

were  glad  enough  to  broil  their  salt  pork  over  the  camp-fire, 
and  drop  off  to  sleep,  without  thinking  of  trout  and  venison. 
A  band  of  pioneers  went  before,  to  explore  the  way,  and  many 
was  the  rough  experience  they  had. 


A  ROUGH  EXPERIEN'CE. 

"  At  length,  after  days  and  days  of  toil,  the  little  army 
reached  the  head-waters  of  the  Kennebec,  where  the  stream  was 
to  be  left,  and  the  forest  crossed  that  lay  between  them  and  the 
head-waters  of  the  Chaudiere.  And  now  they  were  in  peril 
indeed.    They  were  too  far  along  to  go  back,  and  to  go  forward 


DOG-SOUP  FOR  DINNER. 


167 


seemed  almost  certain  death.  Storm  after  storm  came  upon 
them.  In  a  single  night  the  streams  rose  ten  feet,  so  that  they 
were  often  up  to  their  waists  in  the  icy  water.  And,  worst  of  all, 
their  provisions  gave  out.  Many  lay  down  and  died  in  their 
misery.  To  push  on,  and  reach  some  of  the  friendly  French 
villages,  was  their  only  hope.  They  were  reduced  to  such  straits, 
that  they  killed  the  two  dogs  that  were  with  them,  and  made 
them  into  soup  ;  they  boiled  their  buckskin  breeches,  and  ate 
them  ;  and  they  gnawed  the  roots  of  trees  and  shrubs  that  they 
dug  out  of  the  ground.  In  all  these  trials  Arnold  shared  as  a 
common  soldier,  and  was  everywhere  present,  encouraging  and 
sympathizing  with  the  men. 

"  And  at  last  a  remnant,  ragged  and  famishing,  found  them- 
selves within  reach  of  help  from  the  friendly  French  settlers." 

"  Poor  fellows  !  "  said  Lou,  "  they  certainly  deserved  success  : 
they  worked  hard  enough  for  it." 

"  They  did  not  achieve  it,  however,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood. 
"  It  was  early  in  September  when  Arnold's  little  army  left  Boston. 
Now  it  was  the  10th  of  November;  and  his  force,  after  all 
stragglers  had  come  in,  was  only  six  hundred  men,  —  half-clothed. 
They  had  not  lost  their  determination,  though,  but  pressed 
forward  with  all  speed  toward  Quebec.  But  the  British  had 
learned  of  their  coming,  and  recruits  poured  into  the  city  from 
all  about.  They  burned  every  boat  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  for 
twenty  miles,  to  prevent  their  crossing.  And  when,  one  dark 
night,  Arnold,  eluding  a  man-of-war,  landed  his  little  army  in 
Wolfe's  Cove,  and  scaled  the  plains  on  which  the  city  stood, 
there  were  three  men  inside  her  walls,  to  his  one  without." 


"ROW,  BROTHERS,  ROW* 


"  It  looks  to  me,"  said  Jack,  "  as  if  he  were  in  rather  a 
tight  place." 

"  Of  course  he  could  not  attack  the  city  with  such  a  force," 
said  Mrs.  Longwood  :  "  so  he  intrenched  himself,  and  waited  for 


carleton's  escape. 


the  other  American  army  to  join  him.  That  army,  led  by  Gen. 
Montgomery,  had  had  brilliant  success.  It  had  taken  Montreal, 
and  would  have  taken  the  English  commander,  Gen.  Carleton, 


THE  BELLS  CLANG  FORTH  AN  ALARM. 


169 


had  he  not  made  his  escape  in  disguise,  in  a  small  boat.  But 
by  reason  of  the  garrisons  it  had  had  to  leave  behind  it,  and 
the  expiration  of  the  time  for  which  the  men  had  enlisted,  it 
had  so  dwindled  that  it  numbered  only  three  hundred  men." 

"  And  so  Arnold  was  not  much  better  for  their  coming," 
said  Kate. 

"No;  he  was  not,  indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "The  two 
commanders  held  a  conference.  To  attack  the  city  seemed  mad- 
ness, but  they  were  determined  to  attempt  it.  They  planned  a 
night  assault.  The  snow  was  coming  down  thick  and  fast  when 
the  attack  was  made.  A  hundred  yards  before  his  men  ran 
Arnold,  while  all  the  bells  of  the  city  were  clanging  forth  a  wild 
alarm.  On  a  run  after  him  came  his  men,  holding  their  muskets 
under  their  coat-flaps,  to  keep  the  locks  dry.  At  the  very  first 
onset  Montgomery  was  killed,  and  Arnold  was  struck  by  a  mus- 
ket-ball that  broke  his  leg.  Rising  on  his  other  leg,  he  tried 
to  press  forward,  and  cheered  the  men  as  they  passed  him. 
They  made  a  gallant  fight,  but  it  was  in  vain  :  Quebec  was  not 
to  fall." 

"  What  a  shame  it  was,"  exclaimed  the  boys,  "  that  he  should 
fail  !  but  it  was  a  desperate  venture  at  the  best.  The  fight 
must  have  given  him  a  great  reputation." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  Congress  at  once  promoted 
him  to  be  a  brigadier.  The  Americans  were  forced  to  retire 
slowly  from  Canada,  and  the  British  followed  them  up  as  they 
went.  Gen.  Carleton  was  determined  to  get  full  possession  of 
Lake  Champlain,  because  of  its  nearness  to  Ticonderoga.  The 
British  always  had  their  eyes  on  Ticonderoga,  longing  to  gain  it, 


I  JO 


SKILLED  SEAMEN  AGAINST  LAND-LUBBERS. 


because,  with  it  once  in  their  hands,  they  thought  they  could  easily 
force  their  way  to  Albany,  and  effect  a  junction  with  the  forces 
in  New  York.  So  Carleton  began  to  build  vessels  with  all  speed, 
and  Arnold,  too,  began  to  build  vessels  to  fight  him.  Of  course 
Carleton  had  great  advantages.  He  was  not  far  from  Montreal, 
his  base  of  supplies,  whence  he  could  get  men  and  material, 
and  he  had  the  whole  purse  of  England  to  draw  from,  while 
Arnold  had  only  the  backwoods  about  him.  And  so  it  came 
about,  that,  when  the  two  fleets  met  in  fight,  the  British  had 
more  than  twice  the  weight  of  guns,  and  twice  as  many  ships, 
as  he,  and  had  skilled  seamen  to  navigate  them,  while  he  had 
but  land-lubbers." 

"  I  suspect  this  will  be  as  vigorous  a  scrimmage  as  the  other," 
said  Ned. 

"  You  shall  see,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  When  the  British- 
ships,  with  all  their  flags  proudly  flying,  came  sailing  down  to 
attack  the  American,  the  English  captain,  seeing  the  smallness 
of  the  American  fleet,  said  that  he  thought  they  should  have 
little  trouble  ;  but  Gen.  Carleton,  who  was  aboard,  remembered 
the  march  through  the  Maine  woods,  and  thought  differently. 
And  he  was  right.  It  was  half-past  twelve  when  the  two  fleets 
were  within  musket-shot  and  hard  at  work.  Arnold  had  that 
morning  lost  the  ship  on  which  he  was,  '  The  Royal  Savage,' 
and  now  had  taken  his  station  on  '  The  Congress '  galley.  He 
anchored  her  in  the  hottest  part  of  the  fire,  and  there  she  stayed 
until,  at  five  o'clock,  the  British  retired. 

"  Not  only  were  he  and  his  men  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the 
enemy's  ships,  but  the  whole  shore  close  at  hand  blazed  with 


THE  BRITISH  COMMANDER  CAUGHT  NAPPING. 


the  rifles  of  the  Indians.  Fortunately,  though,  he  had  foreseen 
this,  and  had  protected  his  sides  so  that  the  bullets  did  little 
harm.  He  was  omnipresent  on  his  ship.  His  men  were  inexpe- 
rienced, and  he  himself  pointed  and  discharged  most  of  the  guns. 
He  knew  no  such  word  as  submission.  His  vessel  was  hulled 
eleven  times.  Seven  shots  had  passed  through  her,  above  the 
water-line,  her  mast  and  rigging  were  cut  to  pieces,  while  around 
him  lay  the  dead  and  wounded  ;  and  yet  he  fought  as  madly  as 
at  first. 

"  That  night  the  British  fleet,  confident  that  another  day 
would  see  the  Americans  in  their  power,  stationed  themselves  in 
the  channel  through  which  they  must  pass  to  escape.  Arnold 
called  a  council.  His  fleet  was  in  a  dreadful  way :  three-fourths 
of  their  ammunition  was  spent.  They  must  escape  if  possible. 
The  night  was  a  hazy  one.  Each  ship  put  out  all  lights  save 
one  at  the  stern,  to  guide  the  vessel  that  followed  her,  and, 
raising  their  sail,  they  stole  noiselessly  away.  And  when  morn- 
ing awoke  the  British  commander,  to  go  on  with  the  struggle  of 
the  day  before,  his  enemy  had  escaped  him." 

"  How  provoked  he  must  have  been  !  "  said  they  all. 

"  He  was  indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  He  hoisted  all 
sail,  and  set  out  in  pursuit  ;  and  after  a  little  he  came  up  with 
the  hinder  vessels  of  the  flying  fleet.  Two  had  sunk  from  their 
injuries ;  and  the  others,  crippled  and  struggling,  were  making 
the  best  of  their  way  to  Crown  Point  and  safety.  Arnold,  in  his 
'  Congress '  galley,  with  one  or  two  gondolas,  determined  to  fight 
the  whole  fleet,  and  so  detain  them  till  the  others  had  time  to 
escape.    His  poor  old  craft  was  in  a  terrible  way  from  the  en- 


172 


ONE  STEADY  ROUND  OF  SHOT  AND  SHELL. 


counter  she  had  just  had  ;  but  for  four  hours  she  fought  des- 
perately. Seven  Englishmen  surrounded  her,  and  poured  into 
her  one  steady  round  of  shot  and  ball,  and  still  Arnold's  cry 
•was,  No  surrender !  At  last,  when  he  saw  that  the  rest  of  his 
fleet  had  made  good  their  escape,  he  ran  her  ashore,  and  com- 
manded his  men  to  leap  overboard,  and  wade  to  land.  With  his 
own  hand  he  set  her  on  fire,  and,  keeping  off  the  enemy's  small 
boats  till  the  flames  had  such  headway  that  they  could  not  be 
extinguished,  he  left  his  flag  still  flying,  and  escaped  to  land. 

"  I  am  going  to  tell  you  only  one  story  more  of  Arnold's 
daring,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  It  was  at  the  battle  of  Saratoga. 
You  remember  about  that  in  the  wagoner's  story.  It  was  the 
battle  which  caused  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  and  allowed  our 
worthy  wagoner  to  return  to  his  home. 

"  Gates,  who  had  command  of  the  American  forces,  had  thrown 
up  earthworks  at  a  place  called  Bemis  Heights,  and  here  the 
battle  took  place.  The  two  armies  were  within  earshot  of  one 
another.  Early  in  the  morning  the  British  troops  were  seen  to 
be  moving.  Arnold  was  wild  with  impatience.  He  was  not  now 
in  command,  and  so  had  to  await  orders.  At  last  they  came. 
All  da)-  long  the  battle  raged,  until  night  put  an  end  to  the 
strife.  Like  a  madman  he  rushed  into  the  wildest  danger,  lead- 
ing the  troops  in  person  to  the  charge.  He  was  so  well  known 
that  his  presence  alone  seemed  to  bring  success. 

"The  battle  was  a  drawn  one.  Both  armies  rested  on  the 
field.  But  Burgoyne's  advance  was  checked.  He  no  longer 
thought  of  marching  to  Albany,  but  of  how  to  escape.  It  was 
too  late.    His  camp  was  surrounded,  his  provisions  were  growing 


THE  EARTHWORKS  AT  I  .'EM  IS  HEIGHTS. 


I 


A   WRONGLY  DIRECTED  BULLET. 


175 


shorter.  Not  a  mouthful  could  he  gain  by  foraging,  so  closely 
was  he  watched.  His  only  chance  was  in  another  battle  ;  and,  a 
little  more  than  a  fortnight  after  the  first  conflict,  came  the 
second  and  decisive  one. 

"  Arnold  had  in  this  interval  quarrelled  with  his  commanding 
officer,  and  had  been  relieved  of  his  command.  When  the  sound 
of  the  guns  came  to  his  ears,  telling  that  the  battle  had  begun, 
he  paced  up  and  down  his  tent  in  a  fever  of  impatience.  '  I 
can  stand  it  no  longer  !  '  he  exclaimed.  '  If  I  cannot  command, 
I  can  at  least  serve  as  a  volunteer  ; '  and,  leaping  on  his  great 
brown  horse,  he  tore  madly  to  the  fight.  Above  the  noise  of 
the  guns  could  be  heard  the  jells  of  the  men,  as  they  welcomed 
their  old  leader  back.  Placing  himself  once  more  at  their  front, 
he  led  them  on,  waving  his  broadsword  above  his  head,  and 
utterly  disregarding  the  leaden  missives  of  death  that  filled  the 
air. 

"  And  he  led  them  to  victory ;  for  at  the  end  of  that  day, 
when  he  fell,  wounded  in  the  same  leg  that  received  the  ball  at 
Quebec,  the  British  were  routed." 

"  What  a  hero  he  must  have  been  !  "  exclaimed  they  all. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  An  historian  has  well  said, 
that,  if  that  bullet  had  ended  his  life,  no  one  would  have  stood 
higher  on  the  roll  of  patriot  heroes  than  Arnold. 

"  Among  the  British  officers  who  were  killed  in  this  battle 
was  Gen.  Frazer.  He  begged  that  he  might  be  buried  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  on  the  top  of  a  neighboring  mountain, 
in  a  redoubt  that  had  been  built  there. 

"  Slowly  the   mournful  procession  moved  up  the  hillside  in 


176 


A   WILD  BURIAL  SCENE. 


the  sight  of  both  armies,  just  as  the  sun  was  setting.  It  was  so 
far  distant  that  the  Americans  mistook  it  for  a  body  of  troops, 
and  opened  fire  upon  them.  As  the  chaplain  read  the  burial- 
service  the  shot  were  whistling  over  his  head,  and  at  times  he 
was  covered  with  loose  earth  as  one  struck  near  him  ;  but  his 
voice  never  faltered. 

"  Then,  all  at  once,  as  the  Americans  discovered  the  nature 
of  the  work  they  were  intent  upon,  the  cannonading  ceased, 
and,  in  its  place,  the  solemn  minute-guns  echoed  through  the 
hills,  bearing  token  of  their  sympathy  and  admiration  of  him 
who  was  gone." 

"  How  thankful  I  am,"  said  Rose,  "  that  there  is  no  war 
now  !    Think  of  going  through  such  dreadful  scenes  !  " 

"  How  could  such  a  man  as  Arnold  turn  traitor  ?  "  said  Ned. 
"  He  had  reached  such  a  height  in  the  affections  of  his  country- 
men, and  had  fought  so  bravely  for  his  native  land  !  " 

"  The  height  he  had  reached  only  made  his  fall  the  greater, 
and  the  lustre  of  his  name  only  made  his  treason  blacker,"  said 
Mrs.  Longwood.  ."  I  have  shown  you  only  one  side  of  his 
character,  and  the  brightest  side.  Unfortunately  he  was  arrogant 
and  overbearing,  —  he  made  enemies  by  the  score,  —  and  it  was 
openly  said  that  he  was  not  honest.  In  his  Canada  campaign, 
as  well  as  at  other  times,  he  was  accused  of  taking  property 
and  using  it  for  his  own  advantage.  His  enemies,  and  they 
were  many,  worked  busily.  When  Congress  raised  five  briga- 
diers to  higher  rank  they  were  all  his  juniors,  and  men  who 
had  done  nothing,  while  his  great  services  were  ignored.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  this  slight  was  most  unjust.  His  wrongs  grew 
in  his  mind,  bearing  bitter  fruit. 


THE  PATRIOTS  OPEN  FIRE. 


177 


"  Then  the  British  emissaries  began  their  work.  They  praised, 
and  they  flattered,  and  they  promised.  It  was  in  vain,  they  told 
him,  for  the  colonies  to  succeed  in  their  struggle  against  such  a 
mighty  country  as  England.  If  he  would  go  over  to  the  British, 
and  yield  up  possession  of  some  important  post,  the  war  would 
be  ended  all  the  sooner,  and  great  credit  would  be  his.  And, 
besides,  it  should  be  to  his  pecuniary  advantage.  He  should  be 
a  major-general  in  the  British  army,  and  should  receive  a  certain 
sum  in  cash.    And  so  he  listened,  and  he  fell." 

"  How  he  must  have  wept  tears  of  rage  and  mortification  in 
after-life,"  said  Tom,  "  when  he  saw  what  he  had  thrown  away  ! 
How  did  he  turn  traitor  ?  " 

"  He  obtained  the  command  of  West  Point,  a  post  of  such 
importance,  that,  had  he  succeeded  in  delivering  it  up  to  the 
enemy,  as  he  intended,  it  would  have,  no  doubt,  put  an  end  to 
the  war. 

"  The  plan  was  this  :  Arnold  was  to  weaken  the  garrison  as 
much  as  possible,  by  sending  men  away  on  one  pretext  and 
another.  Then  the  British,  who  were  to  be  embarked  in  readi- 
ness, were  suddenly  to  appear  before  the  fort,  and  he  was  to 
surrender  it.  All  these  plans  had  been  fully  discussed  and 
arranged  with  Major  Andre,  and,  had  it  not  been  for  the  fortu- 
nate capture  of  that  officer,  would  have  succeeded. 

"  His  capture  came  about  in  this  way  :  Andre  had  come  up 
the  river  in  the  British  man-of-war  '  Vulture.'  Arnold  had  sent 
a  boat  for  him,  and  had  a  conference,  lasting  until  daylight,  by 
the  river-side.  Then,  as  all  the  arrangements  had  not  been  fully 
made,  Andre  accompanied  the  traitor  to  a  house  near  at  hand. 


1 78 


THREE  MEN  APPEAR  SUDDENLY. 


While  he  was  there,  a  patriot  battery  opened  fire  on  '  The  Vul- 
ture,' with  such  effect  that  she  was  driven  to  hoist  her  anchors, 
and  fall  down  with  the  current.  Consequently  Andre  could  not 
return  to  her.  Arnold  furnished  him  with  maps  and  plans  of 
West  Point,  which  he  put  inside  his  stockings;  and  then,  with  a 
pass  in  his  pocket,  Andre  set  out  to  make  the  journey  to  New- 
York  on  horseback. 

"  All  went  well  for  a  time  ;  but  when  he  reached  Tarry  town, 
and  thought  himself  in  comparative  safety,  he  was  stopped  by 
three  men,  who  seized  and  searched  him.  As  soon  as  they  saw 
the  plans  in  his  stockings,  they  knew  that  he  was  no  common 
man,  and  they  carried  him  to  the  nearest  American  post.  Here 
he  managed  to  get  a  letter  sent  Arnold,  telling  of  his  capture. 
It  came  to  the  traitor  just  as  he,  with  his  aides,  was  at  break- 
fast. Without  a  moment's  delay,  he  went  to  his  wife's  room, 
and  broke  to  her  the  intelligence  that  he  must  fly  for  his  life. 
Then,  springing  on  a  horse  that  stood  at  the  door,  he  tore  madly 
down  the  hill  to  the  river,  and,  entering  a  barge,  bade  the  men 
row-  him  to  '  The  Vulture,'  which  still  lay  in  the  stream.  His 
treason  had  failed,  but  he  himself  was  safe." 

"And  what  became  of  Andre?"  asked  Lou. 

"  He  was  tried  as  a  spy,  and  was  hanged,"  said  Mrs.  Long- 
wood. 

"  It  seems  hard  that  Arnold  should  escape,  and  he  suffer," 
said  Carrie. 

"  I  think  it  served  him  right,"  said  Will.  "  It  was  not  a  very 
creditable  piece  of  business  for  an  officer  to  be  engaged  in. 
Trying  to  bribe  a  man  to  be  a  traitor  is  not  generally  considered 


ARNOl.r  S  ESCAPE. 


I 


i8i 


to  be  'work  for  a  gentleman,  in  the  army  or  out.  But  it  is  an 
awful  pity  that  Arnold  could  not  have  been  hung  too." 

"  His  treason  benefited  him  little,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood  ; 
,l  for  he  was  distrusted,  and  held  in  secret  if  not  open  contempt, 
by  the  English,  and  despised  by  his  countrymen. 

"  Once,  anxious  to  know  how  he  was  regarded,  he  asked  a 
patriot  captain  who  had  been  taken  prisoner,  what  would  be  his 
fate,  should  he  be  taken  by  the  Americans. 

"  '  They  will  cut  off,'  said  the  captain,  '  that  shortened  leg  of 
yours,  wounded  at  Quebec  and  Saratoga,  and  bury  it  with  all 
the  honors  of  war,  and  then  hang  the  rest  of  you  on  a  gibbet.' 

"  When  the  Revolution  came  to  an  end,  Arnold  saw  that 
America  could  never  more  be  a  home  for  him.  With  his  family 
he  removed  to  England,  and  there  passed  the  rest  of  his  days  in 
obscurity.  Business  reverses  came  upon  him  ;  and,  when  he  lay 
dying,  he  knew  that,  except  the  pensions  which  his  treason  had 
bought,  his  family  had  almost  nothing  wherewith  to  buy  their 
daily  bread. 

"  So  much  for  treason." 


CHAPTER  X. 


Just  as  Mrs.  Long- 
wood  finished,  the  head 
and  shoulders  of  Mr. 
Long wood  appeared, 
coming  up  the  hill. 
Tom  and  Carrie  ran  to 
meet  him,  and  soon  he 
was  sitting  on  the  grass 
beside  them. 

"  That  tiresome  busi- 
ness is  through  with,  at 
last,"  he  said;  "and  now 
what  shall  we  do  ?  Do 
you  propose  to  stay  at 
a  hotel  in  New  London 
all  night  ?  or  what  are  your  plans,  young  people  ?  " 

"  Shall  we  not  get  back  to  House  No.  2  in  time  to  sleep  ?  " 
asked  the  girls. 

"Hardly,"  said  Tom.  "Why,  it  is  now  half-past  four;  and, 
if  we  set  out  at  once,  with  the  light  wind  there  is  blowing,  we 
should  hardly  get   back   to   Fort   Pond   before   twelve  o'clock. 


182 


THEY  SET  OFF  FOR  THE  TOWN. 


183 


And  I  presume  you  would  not  enjoy  the  walk  across  the  moors 
to  the  house,  in  the  pitchy  blackness  of  midnight." 
"  No,  indeed,"  said  Gertrude. 

'  A  hotel  is  so  stupid  !  "  said  Carrie  ;  "  but  I  suppose  there 
is  nothing  else  for  it." 

"  I  have  an  idea,"  said  Jack.  "  Why  not  all  spend  the  night 
on  the  schooner  ?  The  cabin  will  take  Mrs.  Longwood  and  you 
girls  very  snugly,  and  Mr.  Longwood  can  have  a  hammock,  —  I 
am  sure  there  must  be  an  extra  one.  We  fellows  could  roll 
ourselves  up,  each  in  a  rug,  and  camp  down  anywhere.  It  will 
be  delicious  sailing  to-night.  There  is  a  moon  ;  and  it  is  so 
warm  that  we  can  be  on  deck  late,  without  feeling  the  slightest 
chill." 

The  girls  all  seemed  to  fancy  Jack's  idea ;  and  so  it  was 
decided  to  adopt  it. 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  unless  you  wish  to  sit 
longer  on  this  hill,  suppose  we  go  over  to  the  town,  and  see 
what  is  to  be  seen.  I  should  like  to  get  a  newspaper,  and  learn 
what  has  been  going  on  in  the  world  while  we  have  been  away 
from  it.  Possibly,  too,  we  may  find  something  to  supplement 
'  The  Mavis's  '  larder." 

So  they  started  off  for  the  town.  Apparently  they  did  find 
something  there  to  add  to  their  table  ;  for  when,  an  hour  later, 
they  came  straggling  down  to  the  waterside,  to  once  more  get 
aboard  their  schooner,  every  boy  and  girl  was  carrying  a  package 
of  some  kind,  while  Jack  led  the  way  with  two  huge  melons 
under  his  arms. 

"  There,"  he  said,  with  a  sigh  of  relief,  as  he  handed  them 


JACK  EARXS  HIS  SUPPER. 


to  Thomas  John,  who  laid  them  carefully  in  the  bottom  of  the 
boat,  "  I've  earned  my  supper,  anyway  !  " 

The  sun  was  low  down  in  the  west  as  "The  Mavis"  glided 
slowly  out  of  the  harbor.  The  air  was  full  of  sea-gulls,  and 
here  and  there,  as  they  moved  onward,  they  passed  an  incoming 
craft.  One  of  these  attracted  their  especial  attention,  for  the 
skipper  was  no  other  than  a  young  girl.  The  sun  was  shining 
brightly  on  her  slender  figure,  as  she  grasped  the  tiller  firmly  ; 
and,  just  as  they  passed,  they  heard  her  father's  gruff  call, 
"  Luff  a  little,  lassie  !  "  and  her  clear  answer,  "  Luff  it  is,  sir  !  " 

The  girls  all  waved  their  handkerchiefs,  as  they  passed  close 
by.  What  effect  the  sight  of  her  had  on  the  boys,  I  can  only 
judge  from  its  effect  on  one.  Jack  disappeared  :  at  least,  they 
saw  nothing  of  him  for  ten  minutes.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
he  came  back,  with  a  piece  of  paper  and  a  stump  of  a  pencil 
in  his  hand,  and  inquired  softly  of  Will,  "  I  say,  what  rhymes 
with  skipper  ?  " 

"  Hallo  !  "  said  Charlie,  who  overheard.  "  Jack  wishes  to 
write  a  poem  about  the  pretty  skipper,  but  is  balked  by  the 
lack  of  a  rhyme.  Let's  see,  Jack:  what  rhymes  with  skipper? 
Why  "  — 

"  I'd  rather  know  what  rhymes  with  supper,"  said  Rose. 
1"  Do,  boys,  see  when  we  are  to  have  it." 

So  two  or  three  of  them  went  forward  at  once,  and,  return- 
ing after  a  little,  announced  that  it  was  almost  ready. 

"  You  sat  a  long  time  on  the  hill-top  this  afternoon,"  said 
Mr.  Longwood,  as  they  lingered  about  the  remains  of  their 
meal.  "  I  suppose  you  learned  all  about  Newr  London  in  the 
olden  times." 


THE  PRETTY  h  KIP  HER. 


MATHER  BYLES  IS  TROUBLED. 


I87 


"  No,  indeed,"  said  Ned.  "  We  learned  a  great  deal  about 
Arnold ;  but  we  heard  nothing  of  New  London.  Do  tell  us 
something." 

"  Didn't  Mrs.  Longwood  tell  you  about  the  Rev.  Mather 
Byles  and  his  troubles  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Jack.  "  What  were  his  troubles  ?  Colds  in  the 
head  ?    His  name  sounds  like  that." 

"  I  do  not  know  that  he  was  troubled  in  that  way,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood,  smiling.    "  He  was  a  minister." 

"  Do  let  us  hear  about  him,"  said  they  all,  drawing  nearer. 

"  You  know,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  that  our  excellent  ances- 
tors of  many  generations  ago  came  to  this  country  for  religious 
toleration.  By  religious  toleration  they  understood  that  any 
person  should  be  free  to  believe  as  they  did.  If  he  did  not  so 
believe,  they  made  short  work  of  him.  Roger  Williams,  for 
instance,  was  driven  out  of  the  Massachusetts  Colony  in  winter, 
and  travelled  through  the  woods  alone  and  unprotected  to  Provi- 
dence, where  he  could  found  a  new  settlement,  and  hold  his 
opinions  undisturbed. 

"  But  everywhere,  whatever  difference  on  doctrines  there  might 
be,  they  agreed  on  one  thing,  and  that  was,  that  Sunday  was  to 
be  kept  in  the  strictest  way  possible.  The  Pilgrims  who  came 
in  '  The  Mayflower '  fined  any  one  of  their  number  who  might 
be  seen  walking  in  the  fields  on  Sunday  ;  and,  if  you  look  over 
the  old  court  records  of  New  London,  you  will  find,  in  the  year 
1670,  an  entry  like  this  :  — 

"  John  Lewis  and  Sarah  Chapman  are  presented  for  sitting  together  on  the 
Lord's  day,  under  an  apple-tree  in  Goodman  Chapman's  orchard.'  " 


AN  AWFULLY  MEAN  FELLOW. 


"  He  must  have  been 
an  awfully  mean  fellow  who 
told  of  them,"  said  Jack. 

"  They  ought  to  have 
been  reading  their  Bibles," 
said  Carrie,  with  great  se- 
verity. 

"  I  imagine  that  some- 
times the  young  people  were 
hard  to  manage,  even  when 
they  did  come  to  church," 
said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  A 
year  or  two  before  John 
Lewis  and  Sarah  Chapman 
came  to  such  signal  grief 
for  defying  public  opinion, 
a  town  in  Massachusetts 
held  a  meeting,  and  — 

" '  The  town  ordered  that  no 
woman,  maid,  nor  boy,  nor  gall, 
shall  sit  in  the  South  Alley  &  East 
Alley  of  the  M.  House,  upon  penalty 
of  twelvepence  for  every  day  they 
sit  in  the  alley  after  the  present  day. 
It  was  further  ordered  that  every 
dog  that  comes  to  the  meeting  after 
the  present  day,  either  of  Lord's 
days  or  lecture  days,  except  it  be 
their  dogs  that  pays  for  a  dog  whipper,  the  owner  of  these  dogs  shall  pay  sixpence 
for  every  time  they  come  to  the  meeting,  that  doth  not  pay  the  dog  whipper.'  " 


A  FAIR  PURITAN. 


RQr.F.R  WILLIAMS  IN  TFIF  ''WEST. 


UNFRUITFUL  WORK  OF  DARKNESS. 


I9I 


"  I  say,"  said  Jack,  "  it  must  have  been  fun  to  go  to  church 
in  those  days  !  " 

"  Especially  for  the  dog-whipper,"  said  Ned. 

"  Well,"  continued  Mr.  Longwood,  "  the  Rev.  Mather  Byles 
lived  about  a  hundred  years  after  John  Lewis  and  Sarah  Chap- 
man ;  but  the  people  in  his  day  did  much  worse  things  to  trouble 
him  than  sitting  together  under  apple-trees  on  Sunday.  A  sect 
sprang  up,  called  Rogerines,  who  considered  it  their  duty  to 
bear  testimony  against  the  ministers  of  the  day,  because,  among 
other  things,  they  preached  for  hire,  and  because  they  made  long 
prayers,  which  are  forbidden  in  the  New  Testament,  and  because 
they  observed  the  first  day  of  the  week,  which  they  said  was  no 
sabbath  by  God's  appointment.  Their  way  of  bearing  testimony 
was  peculiar.  One  of  them  has  written  a  book  on  the  subject, 
and  this  is  what  he  says  :  — 

utJune  10,  1764.  —  We  went  to  the  meeting  house  and  some  of  our  people 
went  in  and  sat  down  ;  others  tarried  without  &  sat  upon  the  ground.  And  when 
Mather  Byles  their  priest  began  to  say  over  his  formal  synagogue  prayer,  some  of 
our  women  began  to  knit,  others  to  sew,  that  it  might  be  made  manifest  they 
had  no  fellowship  with  such  unfruitful  works  of  darkness.  But  Justice  Coit  and 
the  congregation  were  much  offended  at  this  testimony  and  fell  upon  them  in  the 
very  time  of  their  prayer  and  drove  us  all  out  of  the  house  in  a  most  furious 
manner.' 

"  These  testimony-bearing  Quakers  were  brought  before  the 
justices  the  next  day,  and  sent  to  prison  for  a  short  time  for 
disturbing  the  peace.  But  this  only  egged  them  on.  The  women 
brought  their  spinning-wheels  ;  and  every  Sunday  they  bore  their 
testimony  in  the  same  disagreeable  way,  and  were  ejected.  They 


192 


visited  every  church  in  the  neighborhood  ;  but  were  especially 
fond  of  Mather  Bylcs,  because  of  his  choleric  temper.  If  all 
were  quiet  in  the  church,  and  he  were  proceeding  with  his  ser- 
mon, a  Quaker  had  but  to  put  on  his  hat,  to  bring  on  a  tempest. 


THE  WAY  JOHN  LEWIS  OUGHT  TO  HAVE  SPENT  THE  SABBATH. 


The  minister  would  stop  short ;  nor  could  he  be  persuaded  to 
go  on,  until  the  obnoxious  covering  was  removed.  He  was  so 
touchy  on  this  subject,  that  he  would  not  leave  his  house  to  go 


JACK  SIGHS  FOR  THE  PAST. 


193 


to  church,  if  one  were  in  the  path.  The  wily  Quakers  knew 
this  ;  and  on  Sunday  morning  a  couple  might,  perhaps,  sit  on 
his  doorstep,  and  one  or  two  more  loiter  by  the  path  that  led  to 
church.  Then  the  congregation  would  assemble,  and  take  their 
seats.  The  hour  would  pass  ;  but  no  minister  would  come. 
There  would  the  people  sit,  and  the  bell  would  keep  on  tolling,1 
perhaps  fifty  or  sixty  minutes  ;  but  Mr.  Byles  would  not  budge 
from  his  house  until  a  constable  arrived,  to  drive  the  obnoxious 
Quakers  from  his  path." 

"  Why  wasn't  I  born  in  those  days  ?  "  said  Jack  earnestly. 

"  I  fear,  you  young  rogue,  that  you  would  have  been  a 
Quaker,"  said  Mr.  Longwood. 

"  Well,  at  each  new  outbreak  the  testimony-bearers  were 
brought  up  for  trial.  For  each  fresh  offence  the  time  of  impris- 
onment was  doubled  ;  so  that  presently  the  jail  was  crowded. 
At  length,  one  Sunday,  the  imprisoned  Quakers  saw  a  fresh 
party  approaching,  under  the  care  of  the  constables.  They 
decided  that  they  had  already  as  many  in  the  jail  as  could  be 
comfortable.    So  they  barred  the  door.    Their  historian  says  :  — 

"  '  We  blew  a  shell  in  the  prison  in  defiance  of  their  idol  Sabbath,  and  to 
mock  their  false  worship,  as  Elijah  mocked  the  worshippers  of  Baal.  The  authority 
gave  orders  to  break  open  the  prison  door,  so  they  went  to  work  and  labored 
exceeding  hard  on  their  Sabbath,  cutting  with  axes  and  heaving  at  the  door  with 
iron  bars  for  a  considerable  time  till  they  were  wearied,  but  could  not  break  open 
the  door.' 

"  The  constables  were  not  to  be  balked,  however :  finding 
the  door  so  stout,  they  cut  a  hole  in  the  roof,  and  dropped  the 
fresh  arrivals  on  the  heads  of  their  friends  below." 


194 


A  REACTION  SETS  IN. 


"  And  how  did  all  these  troubles  end  ?  "  asked  Lou. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  the  authorities  proceeded  presently 
to  very  brutal  measures,  for  they  began  to  whip  men  and 
women  ;  but  this  produced  a  re-action,  and  gradually  the  whole 
thing  died  out." 


CHAPTER  XI. 


I  have  forgotten  to  mention, 
that,  among  the  purchases  at 
New  London,  was  one  by  Jack, 
of  a  very  shrill  whistle.  It  had 
lain  forgotten  in  his  trousers 
pocket,  until  now  ;  but,  of  a 
sudden  remembering  it,  he  drew 
it  forth,  and  gave  a  blast  upon 
it  that  caused  them  all  to  put 
their  hands  to  their  ears. 

"  I  have  noticed,  with  great 
pain,"  said  he,  attempting  to  hold  the  whistle  between  his  lips, 
and  talk  at  the  same  time  ;  and,  in  consequence,  uttering  some 
unintelligible  sounds,  —  "I  have  noticed,  with  great  pain,  that 
this  vessel  was  so  insufficiently  manned  and  provided,  that  it  had 
not  a  boatswain,  or  even  a  boatswain's  whistle.  At  great  trouble, 
and  out  of  my  limited  resources,  I  have  procured  a  whistle, 
which,  while  lacking  in  proper  force,  is  yet  a  fair  substitute  for 
that  in  ordinary  use." 

And  he  gave  another  blast  upon  it,  by  way  of  illustration, 
grinning  with  mischief,  as  the  girls  again  covered  their  ears  with 


HAST/AGS  THE  BO'SUN. 


their  hands,  to  deaden  the  shrill  sounds.  "  By  a  little  practice, 
I  think  I  can  make  myself  heard  quite  a  distance,"  he  added. 
"  Henceforth  you  will  please  address  me  as  Hastings  the  bo'sun. 
I  say,  Carrie,  toss  me  over  a  peach,  will  you  ?  " 

"  It  is  not  customary  for  the  bo'sun  to  mess  with  the  pas- 
sengers," said  Carrie  with  great  dignity.  "I  do  not  know 
whether  Capt.  Jackson  has  provided  peaches  for  the  crew,  or 
not.  If  he  has,  you  will  probably  find  them  forward  ;  "  and  she 
took  up  one,  and  commenced  to  munch  it  with  great  satisfaction. 

The  laugh  was  decidedly  against  Jack  ;  but  that  young  man 
was  equal  to  the  emergency.  He  came  close  behind  Carrie,  and 
said  :  "If  the  passengers  revolt,  and  disobey  the  officers,  they 
are  put  under  arrest.  Will  you  hand  me  a  peach  ;  or  shall  I 
pipe  all  hands,  to  put  you  in  irons  ? "  and  he  bent  forward,  so 
that  his  mouth  was  close  to  her,  and  put  the  whistle  to  his  lips. 

"  Goodness,  Jack  !  "  she  cried.  "  Don't  blow  that  fearful  thing 
in  my  ears,  and  you  shall  have  all  the  peaches  you  want.  Here, 
take  them  !  "  and  she  handed  him  the  dish. 

The  victor  selected  the  best  one,  and,  magnanimously  saying 
nothing  about  his  triumph,  strolled  away,  eating  it. 

The  others  sat  about,  chatting  idly.  Presently  the  sun  went 
down,  and  twilight  began  to  come  over  the  waters.  The  moon, 
however,  did  her  best  to  enliven  the  scene,  so  that  the  little 
groups  scattered  about  "  The  Mavis's  "  deck  were  plainly  visible 
to  one  another.  By  and  by  Capt.  Jackson  made  his  appearance 
from  somewhere  below,  and  began  to  talk  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Longwood. 

Carrie  soon  joined  them.     "  Capt.  Jackson,"  she  exclaimed, 


CAPT.  JACKSON  BROUGHT  TO  BOOK. 


197 


"  you  haven't  told  us  a  story ;  and  you  must  know  ever  so  many. 
Tell  us  one  ;  won't  you  ?  " 


Capt.  Jackson  looked  like  a  man  upon  whom  a  long-expected 
blow  had  fallen. 


THE  MOON  ENLIVENS  THE  SCENE. 


"  I  never  in  all  my  life  saw  a  passel  of  boys  and  girls  so 
sharp-set  after  stories  as  you  all,"  he  exclaimed.  "  Why,  you're 
worse  than  blue-fish  after  menhaden.  I  knew  it  was  comin', 
though,"  he  went  on.  "  I  knew  you'd  be  after  me  for  a  story  ; 
and  it  seemed  like  as  if  all  the  little  wits  I  had  went  clean  out 
of  me  at  the  idee.  I  kep'  away  from  you  the  whole  way  over 
this  mornin',  a-purpose.    There  was  a  story  I  remembered  havin' 


198 


AUNT  J E  RUSH  A' S  BABY. 


heard  my  mother  tell,  which  was  considerable  amusin',  —  how  my 
aunt  Jerusha's  baby  cut  her  first  teeth.  I  put  a  powerful  amount 
of  strain  on  myself  to  overhaul  that  yarn,  but  -  somehow  I 
couldn't  get  the  points  to  lie  rightly  in  my  mind  ;  and  what  to 
do  I  couldn't  tell,  no  ways.  I  didn't  know  but  I  should  have  to  fall 
back  on  the  Flying  Dutchman. 

"  And  so,  while  you  were  all  on  the  top  of  the  hill  at  New 
London,  —  yarnin',  I'll  be  bound,  —  I  went  ashore  in  the  town, 
to  walk  about  a  bit,  and  give  my  mind  a  rest.  I  strolled  on,  for 
a  time,  till  I  kind  o'  lost  my  bearin's  ;  so  I  stopped  in  a  gro- 
cer's shop,  to  get  the  reckonin'.  The  young  man  behind  the 
counter  was  waitin'  on  a  young  woman  ;  so  I  cast  my  eyes  about 
a  bit,  and  there,  lyin'  on  a  barr'l,  was  an  old  newspaper.  The 
fust  thing  I  see,  in  the  corner  of  it,  was  a  bit  of  poetry.  I 
read  down  a  ways,  and  then  I  knew  that  my  goin'  into  that 
store  was  providential  ;  for  there  was  the  story  I  was  after,  all 
blocked  out  in  print." 

"  About  aunt  Jerusha's  baby  ? "  asked  Jack,  who  had  joined 
the  group. 

"  No,"  said  the  captain  ;  "a  much  better  story  than  that. 
Just  wait  a  bit. 

"  Well,  when  the  young  man  had  done  up  the  young  woman's 
package,  which  took  some  time,  he  turned  to  me  kind  o'  sharp, 
and  says  he,  — 

"  '  What  will  you  have,  sir  ? 

"  I  rather  calcalate  that  they  two  was  a-conversin',"  said  the 
captain  with  a  chuckle,  "  and  didn't  think  my  comin'  in  was  so 
providential  as  I  did.  I  was  kind  o'  took  aback  by  his  question, 
for  I  was  readin'  away  for  dear  life  ;  but  I  looks  up  at  once. 


A  POUND  OF  GUNPOWDER. 


I99 


"  '  I'll  have  a  pound  of  gunpowder,'  says  I. 

"  '  We  don't  keep  it,'  says  he,  short  like,  and  snappish. 

"  Well,  then,'  says  I,  '  give  me  a  pound  of  saleratus.  That 
will  answer  the  same  purpose.' 

"  He  looked  at  me  as  if  he  thought  I  was  an  ijot  ;  but  he 
went  away  back,  and  began  to  dig  it  out  of  a  drawer,  and  I 
just  folded  that  paper  up  small,  and  put  it  in  my  pocket.  When 
he  brought  the  saleratus,  I  paid  for  it,  and  come  away,  without 
even  so  much  as  asking  the  question  I  went  in  for.  When  I 
got  to  the  next  corner,  I  looked  around,  and  there  was  that 
young  man  standing  in  the  doorway  watchin'  me. 

"  'Twas  the  fust  time  that  I  ever  stole,  —  that  I  recollect,"  — 
added  the  captain  ;  "  and,  till  I  got  safe  aboard  again,  I  was 
afraid  to  look  over  my  shoulder,  for  fear  of  seein'  a  policeman 
after  me.  But  they  haven't  caught  me  yet  ;  and  I  calcalate  that, 
by  this  time,  we're  out  of  the  jurisdiction  of  Connecticut,  and 
I'm  tolerable  safe." 

"  Pipe  all  hands  to  hear  Capt.  Jackson's  story,"  said  Hastings 
the  bo'sun,  blowing  vigorously  on  his  whistle. 

The  girls  and  boys  all  gathered  around. 

"  I  must  have  a  lantern,"  said  the  captain,  taking  the  news- 
paper out  of  his  pocket,  and  unfolding  it. 
So  Jack  brought  one. 

"  It's  poetry,"  said  he,  looking  around  on  their  attentive  faces. 
"The  paper  says  it's  written  by  a  gifted  fellow-townsman.  The 
name  of  the  piece  is  '  Scituate,  18 12.'  Scituate  is  the  name  of 
a  place;  18 12  is  a  date."  And  without  further  preamble,  he 
began  to  read  :  — 


200 


CAPT.  JACKSON'S  TALE. 


Away  in  the  top  of  the  tall  white  tower, 

The  light-keeper's  daughter  breathless  stands; 

Forgotten  the  lamps  with  their  half-trimmed  wicks, 

Forgotten  the  scissors  that  fall  from  her  hands. 

The  fishing-boats  below  sail  free, 

But  her  gaze  is  fixed  far  out  at  sea, 

As  she  shields  her  eyes  from  the  sun's  strong  glare. 

Then  her  voice  rings  shrilly  down  the  stair  : 

'  Run,  boys,  run  !  and  rouse  the  town  ! 

'Tis  a  British  cruiser  coming  down  !  ' 

Up  on  the  cliffs  that  o'erhang  the  bay, 

The  fisher-folk  run  at  the  first  alarm. 

W  ar  is  abroad  !    To  these  peaceful  folk 

A  British  cruiser  is  rife  with  harm. 

Nets  and  boats  are  their  worldly  good  ; 

For  they  wring  from  the  sea  a  livelihood, 

And  gaunt  hunger  follows  when  these  are  gone. 

Helpless  they  watch  the  ship  bear  down ; 

Not  a  dozen  muskets  in  the  bay, 

And  Boston  a  score  of  miles  away. 

Steadily  on  with  the  rising  tide, 
The  incoming  ship  draws  near  the  land. 
They  can  hear  the  splash  as  her  anchor  drops, 
»  They  can  hear  from  her  decks  the  gruff  word  of  command  : 

'  Man  the  boats,  and  lower  away. 
Burn  out  these  rats  that  infest  the  bay  ! ' 
Their  red  coats  gleam  as  the  boats  draw  near, 
But  a  redder  gleam  there  shall  soon  appear, 
As  the  cruel  flames  seize  boats  and  town, 
While  the  men  above  look  helpless  down. 


UNDER  THE  SAND-HILLS  WE'LL  BEAT  AND  PLAY. 


OUT  PEALED  THE  FIFE. 


203 


Away  on  the  point,  from  the  light-house  tower, 

The  light-keeper's  daughter  sees  it  all. 

An  angry  flush  on  each  red  cheek  burns, 

And  she  springs  to  her  feet  with  a  sudden  call : 

'  Sal  !  take  the  drum.    I'll  take  the  fife. 

We'll  bear  a  hand  in  the  coming  strife. 

Under  the  sand-hills  we'll  beat  and  play, 

As  we  stride  out  of  sight  by  the  side  of  the  bay. 

They'll  think  us  the  troops  from  Boston  down. 

'Tis  the  only  chance  to  save  the  town.' 

Forward,  march  !    And  out  pealed  the  fife, 
And  steadily  rolled  the  throbbing  drum. 
The  red-coats  across  the  bay  stop  short. 
As  the  warlike  notes  o'er  the  waters  come. 
'  Recruits  are  marching  down  the  bay, 
To  cut  us  off!    To  the  boats!  Away! 
In,  men,  and  pull  for  your  lives  ! '  they  cry. 
'  We  are  caught  in  a  trap,  and  we  must  fly. 
Pull  for  the  ship.    Make  no  delay. 
Let  us  get  out  of  this  cursed  bay  ! ' 

Then  from  the  cliffs  those  old  muskets  blazed, 
And  on  many  a  red  coat  a  redder  spot  burned  ; 
But  they  never  slacked  oars  in  their  headlong  flight, 
Or  a  single  glance  over  their  shoulder  turned; 
For  on  the  wind  came  sharp  and  clear 
The  sounds  that  told  of  the  foemen  near. 
Shrill  and  more  shrilly  the  fifer  blew, 
And  louder  and  louder  the  deep  drum-beats  grew; 
So  they  fled  in  haste  down  the  quiet  bay, 
Hoisted  their  anchor,  and  sailed  away." 


204 


JACK  INQUIRES  AS  TO  SALERATUS. 


The  reading  of  this  ballad  took  some  time  ;  for  Capt.  Jack- 
son had  not  given  that  attention  to  his  early  studies  that  he 
ought  to  have  done.  Besides,  as  he  read  on,  he  became  more 
and  more  impressed  with  the  idea  that  this  poetry  was  very  fine  ; 
and,  whenever  a  line  occurred  that  struck  him  as  particularly 
good,  he  stopped,  and  read  it  over  again.  At  last,  however,  it 
was  finished. 

"  What  became  of  the  saleratus  ?  "  asked  Jack  the  irrelevant. 

Capt.  Jackson  looked  dazed.  "  I  don't  recall  no  mention  of 
saleratus  in  the  poem,"  he  said  with  dignity. 

"  I  mean  the  saleratus  you  bought,"  said  Jack. 

"  Oh !  "  said  the  captain,  relaxing.  "  I  gave  it  to  a  poor 
woman  on  the  pier.  She  thanked  me  kindly,  and  said  that  her 
husband  was  very  fond  of  it  in  his  bread." 

"  Don't  you  think  you  could  remember  about  aunt  Jerusha's 
baby  ?  "  asked  Carrie.    "  Try  again." 

Capt.  Jackson  was  very  much  elated  by  the  success  of  his 
ballad.  He  felt  very  much  like  talking  on  indefinitely.  He 
scratched  his  head  with  his  hand,  and  meditated  for  a  moment. 

"  The  story,  as  my  mother  used  to  tell  it,"  said  he,  "  was  a 
full-rigged  ship,  with  all  sails  set,  and  streamers  flyin'.  As  I 
remember  it,  it  is  nothin'  but  an  old  hull,  with  not  a  spar  aloft. 
Howsomendever  :  — 

"  My  aunt  Jerusha  was  a  spinster  lady  who  married  late  in 
life.  Her  husband  was  the  squire  of  the  place,  —  a  big,  burly 
fellow,  who  seemed  to  like  a  sight  better  to  be  out  with  his 
cows  and  horses,  with  a  dozen  dogs  around,  than  in  the  house 
with  his  wife.    And,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  don't  much  blame  him  ; 


AUNT  J E  RUSH  A  IS  A  NEAT  WOMAN. 


205 


for  she  was  as  neat  as  Sunday  mornin'.  She'd  a-liked  to  had 
him  take  off  his  boots  on  the  porch,  every  time  he  come  into 
the  house,  only  he  was  a  man  of  sperrit,  and  would  have  his 
own  way. 

"  Well,  by  and  by,  aunt  Jerusha  she  had  a  girl-baby.  She 
and  the  squire  was  sot  up,  no  end.  The  squire,  fust  time  he 
see  the  child,  was  considerable  took  aback.  She  was  smaller 
than  he  expected.  He  looked  her  over  pretty  careful,  and  said 
her  p'ints  was  good,  though  he'd  liked  it  better  if  the  roof  of 
her  mouth  had  been  black  ;  and  that  he  thought,  as  far  as  he 
could  judge  of  so  young  a  filly,  she  had  good  stayin'  powers. 

"  Well,  that  couple  was  considerable  foolish  over  that  baby. 
It  was  really  amusin'.  And  so  things  went  on  for  a  spell,  when 
the  squire  had  to  go  to  Boston  on  one  of  his  cattle-trades.  He 
always  put  up  at  Adams's  Hotel,  and  Miss  Jerusha  she  knew  it. 
The  baby  had  been  considerable  fretful  for  quite  a  spell  ;  and, 
the  day  after  he  went,  she  found  that  two  teeth  had  come  through. 
And  she  alone  was  foolisher  about  those  teeth  than  they  both 
had  ever  been  at  any  time  since  that  baby  was  born,  and  that's 
say  in'  a  good  deal  too. 

"  Now,  the  telegraph  had  just  been  put  into  the  town.  The 
squire  he  thought  highly  of  it  ;  but  Miss  Jerusha  she  said  it 
was  flyin'  in  the  face  of  Providence,  and  never,  no,  never,  would 
she  use  such  a  sinful  thing.  But  when  those  '  little  toothins ' 
come,  she  was  wild  to  have  the  squire  know.  And,  the  more 
she  thought,  the  less  the  telegraph  seemed  like  flyin'  in  the  face 
of  Providence.  So  she  up  with  an  old  memorandum-book  that 
lay  on  the  table,  and  tore  a  page  out,  and  on  it  she  wrote  :  — 


206 


THE  BRINDLE  AND  THE  RED  COW. 


"  '  The  baby  has  cut  two  teeth.    Bring  it  a  present.' 

"  Then  she  called  Jake  the  hired  man,  and  gave  it  to  him, 
and  told  him  to  go  to  the  office,  and  ask  the  operator  to  get 
that  there  piece  of  paper  to  the  squire's  hands  at  Adams's  Hotel 
in  Boston,  just  as  quick  as  he  could.  It  was  an  old  diary  of 
the  squire's  grandfather  that  she  took  the  page  out  of  to  write 
on  ;  but  she  said  the  squire'd  know  her  writin',  so  it  didn't  make 
no  difference  what  was  wrote  on  the  other  side.  But  it  did 
made  a  difference  ;  for  the  operator  sent  the  wrong  side  of  the 
paper,  and  this  was  the  message  the  squire  got  :  — 

"  '  This  day  the  brindle  and  the  red  cow  got  fast  in  the  bog.  We  did  our 
best,  but  could  not  extricate  them.' 

"  Miss  Jerusha  she  felt  very  chipper  after  her  despatch  went 
off.  To  be  sure,  she  was  some  took  aback  by  what  it  cost,  — 
the  worth  of  six  whole  dozen  eggs  ;  but,  after  all,  that  was  of 
no  account.  So  there  she  sot,  thinking  what  the  squire  would 
bring,  —  a  silver  rattle,  no  doubt,  —  and  kind  o'  huggin'  her  own 
smartness,  when  up  come  a  message  from  the  squire  :  — 

" '  Get  Jerry  the  blacksmith,  and  his  gang  and  tackle,  and  yank  them  out 
before  they  get  in  any  faster.    I'll  be  down  in  afternoon  train.' 

"  Miss  Jerusha  she  was  a  woman  who  had  considerable  tem- 
per, and  they  do  say  she  sputtered  considerable  when  she  read 
this.  This  was  the  squire's  idee  of  a  good  joke,  was  it  ?  She 
always  knew  his  family  were  inferior  to  her'n  in  breedin',  but  she 
did  think  he  had  better  manners  'n  that.  And  she  was  so  riled 
up  that  she  just  locked  the  door  of  her  room  when  the  time 


' JERUSHA.n  SAYS  HE. 


207 


come  for  the  squire,  and  there  she  sot  The  squire  he  come  on 
time ;  and,  as  he  walked  up  to  his  house,  he  passed  by  the 
blacksmith-shop. 

"  '  Well,  Jerry,'  he  says  to  the  smith,  who  stood  in  the  door  ; 
4  did  you  get  'em  out  ? ' 

"  But  Jerry  didn't  know  what  the  squire  was  talkin'  about, 
and  told  him  so. 

"  When  the  squire  found  that  Jerry  had  had  no  message  from 
aunt  Jerusha,  he  was  quite  excited,  for  he  sot  great  store  by  his 
cattle  ;  and  he  thought  it  was  the  fault  of  the  telegraph,  who 
hadn't  delivered  his  message.  So  he  stirred  about  ;  and,  pretty 
soon,  Jerry  and  the  two  men  had  the  tackle  on  their  shoulders, 
and  were  marchin'  down  the  street  as  fast  as  they  could  go,  — 
the  squire,  red-faced  and  puffin',  at  their  head. 

"  Miss  Jerusha  she  saw  'em  comin' ;  but  she  only  gave  a  sniff, 
and  tossed  her  head,  and  sot  still,  contemptuous  like. 

"  Pretty  soon  she  saw  Jerry  and  his  men  go  back  down  the 
road  ;  for  the  squire  had  met  Jake  the  hired  man,  and  found 
that  the  cattle  had  not  been  in  the  bog. 

"  Then  she  heard  him  come  up  the  stairs  and  try  the  door  ; 
but  she  sot  still. 

"  ' Jerusha  !  '  says  he. 

"  Not  a  word  says  she. 

"  Then  he  tried  to  bend  down,  to  look  through  the  keyhole  ; 
but  he  was  so  stout  that  he  couldn't. 

"  '  Jerusha  !  '  says  he  again  ;  but  not  a  word  says  she. 

"  '  I  vum  !  '  says  he,  scared  like  ;  and  aloud,  '  She's  off  her 
mind  ;  and  that  accounts  for  the  telegram.    Bill  Jones  told  me, 


208 


JACK  INSTRUCTS  THE  CAPTAIN. 


before  I  married,  that  there  was  a  streak  of  craze  in  her  family, 
and  that  I'd  better  keep  my  eye  open.' 

"  '  This  was  morn  Jerusha  could  stand.  '  I  ain't  off  my 
mind  !  '  she  says  ;  '  and  there  ain't  no  such  thing  in  my  family.' 

"  Well,  by  and  by  the  whole  facts  come  out ;  and  the  squire 
he  sot  down  on  the  stairs,  and  laughed  till  the  tears  rolled  down 
his  cheeks,  and  you  could  have  heard  him  a  mile  off.  But  Miss 
Jerusha  she  was  powerful  mad  at  the  telegraph  man,  and  they 
do  say  she  didn't  ever  speak  to  him  again." 

Capt.  Jackson  was  a  wise  man.  He  felt  that  he  had  reached 
a  point  where  he  might  retire  from  the  role  of  story-teller,  and 
leave  behind  him  quite  a  glowing  reputation.  So  he  rose  up 
from  the  deck  where  he  had  been  sitting,  and,  in  the  midst  of 
the  laugh  that  his  story  had  raised,  strode  away.  We  should 
have  said,  walked  away,  except  that  his  gait,  like  that  of  all  true 
sailors,  was  a  compound  of  roll  and  jerk,  and  indescribable  by 
any  one  word.  The  boys  and  girls  all  called  to  him  to  come 
back;  but  he  paid  no  attention,  and  disappeared  down  the  steps 
that  led  to  the  cabin.  Jack  followed  presently,  and  found  him 
standing  in  the  midst  of  the  room,  looking  helplessly  around  at 
the  berths  that  lined  it. 

"  I  ain't  much  used  to  women-folks'  ways,  myself,"  said  the 
captain  slowly  and  solemnly.  "  Do  you  reckon  they'll  expect 
pillers,  all  on  'em  ?  " 

"  I  think  not,"  said  Jack  promptly.  "  I  understand  that  on 
land  it  is  the  custom  for  ladies  to  sleep  with  their  heads  hanging 
down  over  the  side  of  the  bed  ;  and  I  presume  that  at  sea  they 
would  follow  the  same  habit."    And  the  young  rascal  looked  the 


WOMEN -FOLKS'  WAYS. 


209 


captain  as  steadily  and  calmly  in  the  face,  as  if  he  had  been 
only  saying  that  it  was  a  quarter  past  nine  o'clock. 

Capt.  Jackson  was  more  dazed  than  ever.  "  Tell  you  what," 
he  said,  after  a  moment's  meditation,  "you're  bo'sun,  eh?" 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  !  "  said  Jack. 

'Then  on  deck  with  you,  and  ask  Mr.  Longwood  to  step 
here  a  moment." 

Jack  disappeared  at  once.  "  The  Admiral  of  the  Squadron," 
said  he,  saluting  Mr.  Longwood  as  he  approached,  "  presents  his 
compliments  to  the  Commander  of  the  Land-forces,  and  would 
like  to  see  him  in  his  cabin." 

The  Commander  of  the  Land-forces  evidently  was  more  versed 
in  "  women-folks'  ways  "  than  the  Admiral  of  the  Squadron.  He 
pulled  about  blankets  and  rugs  vigorously  for  a  few  moments, 
and  then  announced  that  all  was  in  readiness  for  the  ladies. 
Capt.  Jackson,  notwithstanding  Jack's  assurance  as  to  the  sleeping 
habits  of  the  fair  sex,  was  still  uneasy  on  the  point  of  pillows  ; 
but  as  Mr.  Longwood  did  not  seem  to  consider  them  necessary, 
and  as  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  have  obtained  them  in 
any  case,  he  finally  dismissed  the  subject  from  his  mind. 

"  Well,  then,"  he  said,  "  I  calcalate  the  best  thing  we  can  do 
is  to  get  them  stowed  below,  with  the  hatches  battened  down  ; 
and  then  we  sha'n't  have  no  uneasiness  about  them  until  morn- 
in  . 

It  having  been  intimated  to  the  ladies  that  the  captain  thought 
it  about  time  for  them  to  retire,  they  shortly  afterward  gathered 
themselves  together,  and  made  their  way  below,  where  sleep  soon 
closed  their  tired  eyes,  and  quieted  their  busy  tongues. 


2  10 


THE  BOSUN  DRILLS  HIS  MEN. 


The  boys,  being  thus  left  to  themselves,  hung  about  for  a 
time  ;  but  it  was  very  dull,  and  the  fresh  wind  had  made  them 
drowsy,  so  they  shortly  voted  that  they,  too,  would  turn  in. 

"  I  tell  you  what,  men  !  "  said  Jack,  who,  in  virtue  of  his 
self-assumed  office,  considered  himself  entitled  to  take  a  lofty 
position  ;  "  this  going  to  bed  must  be  done  in  ship-shape  style. 
No  slinking  out  of  your  clothes  like  landlubbers.  Pay  attention 
now  to  your  bo'sun." 

The  place  they  were  in  was  the  waist  of  the  schooner.  In 
ordinary  times  it  would  have  been  full  of  cargo.  Now,  as  "  The 
Mavis "  was  on  a  pleasure-trip,  and  was  empty,  Thomas  John 
and  the  crew  had  hung  up  their  hammocks  here,  in  place  of  the 
forecastle.  In  these  hammocks  the  boys  were  to  sleep.  The 
place  was  dimly  lighted  by  one  swaying  lamp,  that  made  the 
darkness  seem  only  more  dark,  and  brought  out  the  shadows 
cast  by  the  swinging  hammocks  as  they  moved  back  and  forth 
in  answer  to  the  vessel's  motion.  "  The  Mavis's "  last  voyage 
had  been  from  the  West  Indies,  and  there  was  a  strong  smell 
of  molasses  and  sugar  ;  but  the  boys  did  not  seem  to  mind. 

Each  hammock  had  in  it  a  thick  rug  ;  and  the  boys  were 
about  to  select  their  resting-places  for  the  night,  when  Jack  thus 
summarily  called  them  to  order  :  — 

"  Now,  then,"  he  said,  "  look  sharp.  Fall  into  line  there, 
and  mind  your  eye  ;  or  I'll  have  your  grog  stopped  !  " 

This  threat  was  so  dreadful,  that  the  four  at  once  fell  in,  and 
meekly  awaited  orders. 

"  Now,"  said  the  bo'sun,  "  one  blast  on  the  whistle  means 
unbutton  ;  two  blasts  close  together,  off  with  coats  and  vests  ; 
three,  off  with  shoes." 


THE  BO1  SUN  LOSES  HIS  WHISTLE. 


-II 


"  Please,  mister  bo'sun,"  said  Ned,  "  what  are  we  to  do  with 
them  ?  " 

"  Roll  'em  up,  and  use  them  for  pillows,"  said  the  bo'sun. 
"  Now,  then  "  — 

The  blasts  from  the  whistle  came  sharp  and  fast ;  and,  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye,  all  stood  unrobed. 

"  Now,"  said  the  bo'sun,  "  take  your  stand  by  your  ham- 
mocks. One  blast  of  whistle  means,  Haul  down  the  main- 
sheet  "  — 

"  The  main-sheet  is  up  on  deck,"  said  Charlie. 

"  The  main-sheet  here  is  the  rug  you  are  to  sleep  under," 
said  the  bo'sun,  with  decision.  "  Two  blasts  mean,  in  with  you. 
Now,  then  !  " 

One  blast  came,  and  each  rug  was  hauled  down  ;  two,  and 
each  boy  leaped  into  his  hammock.  There  was  a  moment's 
silence,  and  then  a  crash.  The  bo'sun  had  leaped  too  far, 
overshot  his  mark,  and  come  headlong  to  the  floor.  The  others, 
as  they  turned  cautiously,  to  prevent  following  his  example,  saw 
their  bo'sun,  lately  so  full  of  dignity,  dancing  around  on  one 
foot,  with  his  thumb  in  his  mouth,  while  he  gave  utterance  to 
these  unofftcer-like  words  :  — 

"  Oh,  Jiminy,  doesn't  it  hurt !  and  I've  lost  my  whistle." 


CHAPTER 


XII. 


The  untiring  sun,  when 
again  it  looked  clown  on 
Fort  Pond  Bay,  saw  "  The 
Mavis "  K  ing  there  as  idly 
as  if  it  had  not  stirred  from 
the  position  in  which  it  was 
twenty-four  hours  before. 
And  there  were  as  few 
signs  of  life  about  it  now 
as  then.  But  presently  the 
five  boys  emerged  together 
from  their  quarters. 

"  Well,  I  must  say,"  said 


one,  "  that  sleeping  in  a  vessel  that  has  carried  a  cargo  of  sugar 
is  not  my  idea  of  a  good  time.  I  feel  as  if  I  had  been  dipped 
head  first  into  a  cask  of  molasses.  Let  me  draw  a  few  breaths 
of  clear  air." 

"  I  say,  bo'sun,"  said  Ned,  "  how  was  it  that,  after  putting 
us  to  bed  in  so  ship-shape  a  fashion,  you  let  us  get  up  and. 
dress  like  land-lubbers  ?    Where  is  the  whistle  ?  " 


212 


TOM  PRESCRIBES  FOR  JACK. 


213 


"  It  rolled  off  somewhere  when  I  fell,"  said  Jack  ;  "  and  my 
thumb  hurt  me  so  much  that  I  didn't  care,  then,  whether  I  found 
it  or  not." 

"  Let's  see  your  thumb,"  said  Will.  "  Why  !  "  he  went  on,  as 
Jack,  unrolling  his  handkerchief,  showed  a  swollen  and  discolored 
hand  ;  "  you  never  said  you'd  hurt  yourself  like  that.  You 
should  have  told  us.  I  thought  it  was  only  a  thump  on  the 
floor  that  was  the  trouble.  This  must  have  given  a  good  deal 
of  pain.    Why  didn't  you  speak  ?  " 

"  It  did  keep  me  awake  a  good  deal,"  said  Jack  ;  "  but  I 
didn't  see  how  making  a  fuss  would  help  matters." 

"  Well,  you're  a  plucky  little  beggar,  any  way,"  said  Tom  ; 
"  but  I  think  that  hand  ought  to  have  some  Pond's  Extract  on 
at  once.    There's  a  bottle  in  my  satchel.    I'll  get  it." 

So  presently  Jack's  hand  was  bound  up  in  a  wet  handker- 
chief, while  another  handkerchief  was  tied  neatly  over  all  ;  and, 
just  as  it  was  finished,  the  cook  announced  that  he  had  some 
coffee  ready  on  his  stove. 

It  had  been  decided  the  day  before  that  the  boys  should  get 
up  early,  and  walk  across  to  House  No.  2.  Here  they  should 
give  notice  that  the  rest  of  the  party  would  arrive  to  a  late 
breakfast,  and  should  despatch  'the  sail-boat  to  bring  them  down. 
Accordingly,  when  each  had  fortified  himself  with  a  cup  of  coffee 
and  a  piece  of  hard-tack,  Thomas  John  put  them  ashore,  and 
they  set  out. 

First,  however,  they  all  climbed  the  little  slope  or  bluff,  and 
looked  about  them.  "  If  one  had  only  the  magic  power  of  some 
of  the  old  wizards,"  said  Thomas  John,  "  what  a  wonderful  place 


214 


A  RESURRECTION  OF  INDIANS. 


this  would  be  to  exhibit  it !  One  moment  there  would  be  these 
great  desolate  moors,  with  only  the  sea-birds  flying  over  them. 
A  stamp  of  the  wizard's  foot,  and  the  hundred  thousand  warriors 
buried  here  would  spring  to  life,  each  with  bow  and  tomahawk 
in  hand.    That  would  be  a  sight  worth  seeing." 

"  Are  there  so  many  buried  here  as  that  ?  "  asked  the  boys. 

"  Yes,"  said  Thomas  John.  "  Some  say,  many  more  than  a 
hundred  thousand.  This  was  the  chosen  ground  for  all  the 
Indian  tribes  of  the  east  end  of  Long  Island.  The  dead  were 
brought  here  from  a  distance,  some  in  great  state.  One  chief 
was  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  his  principal  men,  while  the 
whole  tribe  followed  as  mourners.  That  was  Pogattacutt,  sachem 
of  Manhansackahaqushuwamock." 

"  Say  it  again,"  said  Jack. 

"  It  is  too  much  work,"  said  Thomas  John,  laughing.  "  I 
would  rather  give  it  its  English  name  of  Shelter  Island." 

It  was  a  very  languid  party  that  sat  about  the  table  after 
breakfast  was  over,  and  the  dishes  removed.  "  What  shall  we  do 
to-day  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

"  Do  !  "  echoed  the  girls.  "  Let's  do  nothing.  We  have 
hardly  had  a  quiet  moment  for  four  days.  Our  bones  fairly  ache. 
Let's  sit  around,  and  take  naps." 

i  The  boys  laughed,  and  affected  to  think  the  girls  very  weak, 
and  easily  tired  out  ;  but,  in  point  of  fact,  I  fancy  that  they 
themselves  were  not  sorry  to  be  idle.  For,  when  the  cattle- 
keeper  went  into  the  barn  at  noon  to  give  his  horses  a  bite,  he 
found  three  of  them  stretched  out  on  the  floor,  with  their  heads 
on  their  arms,  fast  asleep. 


FOR  SHAME,  WILLIAM  AND  CAROLINE! 


215 


By  dinner-time,  however,  they  had  all  pulled  themselves  to- 
gether ;  and  a  suggestion  from  Mr.  Longwood,  that  they  should 
get  into  the  big  wagon,  and  drive  over  the  moors,  was  received 
with  decided  interest  Will  and  Carrie,  however,  did  not  join  in 
the  expressions  of  satisfaction  at  the  plan. 

"The  fact  is,"  said  Will,  "that  Carrie  and  I  had  formed  a 
scheme  for  a  little  ride  on  our  own  account  ;  so  that  we  shall 
not  be  able  to  join  you." 

"  Upon  my  word !  "  said  Jack  ;  "  that's  cool.  What  in  the 
world  are  you  two  up  to,  anyway  ?  It's  some  fun,  I  know. 
What  a  shame,  not  to  let  us  all  in  !    Tell  us  about  it." 

The  others  joined  in  demanding  to  know  what  their  plan 
was  ;  but  Will  and  Carrie  were  silent.  Not  a  bit  of  information 
was  to  be  had  from  them. 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Tom,  "  since  nothing  can  prevent  these 
two  young  madcaps  from  going  off  by  themselves,  what  time 
shall  the  rest  of  us  start  ?  " 

"  I  would  go  pretty  early,  if  I  were  you,"  said  Carrie.  "  It 
grows  quite  cold  toward  evening  now." 

"  Oho  !  "  exclaimed  they  all.  "  One  thought  for  us,  and  two 
for  yourself.  We'll  wait  until  quite  late,  and  have  you  set  out 
first  ;  and  then  we'll  follow  you,  and  find  out  your  little  game." 

But,  in  spite  of  this  malevolent  determination,  the  big  wagon 
drove  away  that  afternoon,  leaving  Will  and  Carrie  alone  on  the 
doorstep. 

"Hurrah!"  cried  Will,  as  the  horses  started.  "Come  along: 
I  thought  they  would  never  go.    We  must  be  off." 

And   now  I  will   explain  to  you    their  plan.     It  was    this : 


2l6 


FEATHERS  FOR  A  HAT. 


Carrie  had  noticed  flying  over  the  moors  some  birds  with  beauti- 
ful wings;  and  she  had  cried  out  to  Will,  who  was  with  her  at 
the  time,  "  What  lovely  wings !  Wouldn't  they  be  perfectly 
beautiful  on  a  hat  ? "  Will  had  thereupon  assured  her  that  she 
should  have  one  ;  and  this  afternoon  they  were  to  secure  it. 
They  had  borrowed  of  the  cattle-keeper  his  double-barrelled  gun, 
and  they  had  hired  his  horse  and  old  box-wagon  ;  and  this 
turnout  was  now  harnessed,  and  waiting  for  them  at  the  barn. 

They  hurried  out,  and  scrambled  in.  Will  set  the  loaded  gun 
carefully  between  his  knees,  and,  drawing  up  the  reins,  said, 
"  Get  up  !  " 

"  Had  you  not  better  let  me  drive,"  said  Carrie,  "  and  you 
manage  the  gun  ?  " 

"Oh!  I  don't  think  I  shall  have  any  trouble,"  said  Will. 
"  The  horse  seems  very  gentle.    W  hich  way  shall  we  go  ?  " 

"  Anywhere,"  said  Carrie  ;  "  only,  don't  let's  follow  the  road, 
but  drive  ritrht  across  the  downs." 

So,  oft  they  set.  The  cattle-keeper's  dog,  at  sight  of  the 
gun,  seemed  to  consider  himself  invited,  and  ran  along  by  their 
side,  plunging  into  the  reedy  ponds,  and  startling  the  wild  fowl 
that  were  idling  away  the  sunny  hours,  and  wondering  much,  in 
his  own  canine  fashion,  that  none  of  the  many  birds  that  he 
started  up  were  considered  worth  shooting.  Such  a  sportsman 
he  had  never  known  before.  But  these  young  people  had  one 
kind  of  game  in  their  minds,  and  were  not  to  be  diverted  from 
their  intention  by  any  other. 

They  jogged  on  for  perhaps  an  hour.  They  were  having  a 
very  good  time,  but  not  a  sign  of  the  wished-for  bird  had  been 
seen. 


THE  CATTLE-KEEPER'S  DOG. 


i 


{ 


* 


A  REGULAR  WORN-OUT  BEAST. 


219 


"  What  a  regular  old  worn-out  beast  this  is  !  "  said  Will.  "  I 
haven't  been  able  to  get  him  off  a  jog-trot  once.  I  don't  believe 
he  could  hurry,  to  save  his  life.    Hallo  !  there's  a  bird  !    Whoa !  " 

The  horse  stopped  short.  Will  dropped  the  reins,  raised  the 
gun,  and  pulled  the  trigger.  Bang !  went  the  gun.  The  next 
minute  he  and  Carrie  thought  that  there  must  have  been  a  con- 
vulsion of  nature.  They  felt  themselves  flying  backward  through 
space,  and  in  their  flight  were  conscious  of  another  bang,  as  the 
other  barrel  of  the  gun  went  off  wildly  in  the  air.  Then  they 
came  down  at  full  length  on  the  soft  turf,  and,  picking  them- 
selves up  in  a  dazed  way,  found  presently  that  they  were  sound 
of  wind  and  limb. 

But  across  the  moors,  a  full  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  they  saw 
the  old  worn-out  horse,  whom  nothing  could  persuade  to  go  off 
a  slow  trot,  tearing  madly  toward  home,  the  old  wagon  rattling 
along  at  his  heels  in  the  wildest  fashion. 

"  What  has  happened  ?  "  asked  Carrie. 

"Well,"  said  Will,  "as  nearly  as  I  can  judge,  I  should  say 
that  the  horse  sprang  at  the  report  of  the  gun,  and  that  the 
seat,  being  only  set  in,  instead  of  fastened  in,  tipped  backward, 
and  it  and  we  both  went  out  the  back  of  the  waeon.  At  all 
events,  we  seem  to  be  here;  and  the  wagon,  I  should  judge, 
must  be  nearly  home  by  this  time." 

"  How  fortunate  that  the  other  barrel  did  not  hit  us  !  "  said 
Carrie.    "  I  wonder  if  you  killed  the  bird." 

"  Yes,"  said  Will,  after  looking  about  a  little.    "  Here  he  is." 

"  Oh  !  what  a  beauty  !  "  exclaimed  Carrie.  "  But  here  come 
all  the  rest  of  our  party.    What  shall  we  say  to  them  ?  " 


220 


A  HORSE  THA  T  JUMPS  AT  A  GUN. 


"  Don't  tell  them  how  it  happened,  for  any  thing,"  said  Will. 
*'  Leave  it  to  me." 

Just  at  that  moment,  the  big  wagon,  which  had  suddenly 
come  in  sight  over  a  ridge,  drew  up  beside  them. 

"  Your  coming  is  very  fortunate,"  said  Will,  speaking  at  once, 
to  forestall  the  host  of  inquiries  that  he  saw  were  ready  to  be 
rained  down  upon  them.  "  We  got  out  of  our  wagon,  and  the 
horse  took  that  occasion  to  go  off  home,  without  waiting  for  us." 

"  I  see,"  said  Mr.  Longwood  ironically.  "  You  must  have 
devised  a  new  way  of  getting  out  ;  for  I  notice  that  you  took 
the  seat  with  you.  And  Carrie  has  a  long  green  grass-stain  on 
her  shoulder.  However,  as  you  seem  sound  in  body,  both  of 
you.  we  won't  ask  any  embarrassing  questions.  Stow  away  that 
seat  behind,  and  hop  on.  What  a  beautiful  bird  you  have, 
Carrie  !  " 

"  I  can  tell  you  how  it  happened,"  said  their  driver  confiden- 
tially and  in  a  low  tone,  to  Jack,  who  sat  behind  them.  "  That 
hoss  they  had  always  jumps  at  a  gun.    They  was  spilled  out." 

"  Oh,  ho  !  "  said  Jack.  "  They  needn't  think  they're  going  to 
get  off  so  easily.  Hear'  Will  talking  about  the  color  of  the 
ocean,  to  turn  the  conversation!  —  Wait  a  bit,  my  lad.  You'll 
get  it  presently.  —  But  I  should  think,"  he  said  to  the  driver, 
"  that  a  horse  down  here  would  cret  used  to  the  sound  of  a 
gun." 

"  Some  hosses  never  do,"  said  the  man.  "  My  father  had  an 
old  mare  that  used  to  get  frightened  out  of  her  wits  at  the 
sound.  Men  were  around  the  field  where  she  was,  off  and  on, 
half  the  time,  shootin'  game.     By  and  by,  she  seemed  to  kind 


NED  AND  JACK  INTERROGATE  W  ILE 


221 


of  put  two  and  two  together;  and,  if  a  plover  came  down  in 
the  field  where  she  was,  she'd  take  to  her  heels  in  no  time,  just 
the  same  as  if  'twas  a  gun." 

Jack,  as  soon  as  they  reached  home,  made  haste  to  communi- 
cate to  Ned  what  the  driver  had  told  him  as  to  the  probable 
cause  of  Will  and  Carrie's  being  found  on  the  open  heath  alone. 
These  two  young  scapegraces  proposed  a  scries  of  such  apt 
questions  during  supper,  to  the  two  discomfited  bird-hunters, 
that  they  fully  believed  that  their  whole  performance  had  been 
seen.  And  it  was  a  happy  release  for  them  when  the  pushing- 
back  of  chairs  announced  that  the  meal  was  over,  and  that  they 
could  escape  from  their  tormentors. 

"  This  is  the  last  night  of  our  trip  when  we  shall  be  all 
together,"  said  Jack  ;  "  and  we  must  have  oik-  more  story.  And 
it  must  be  a  regular  jolly  one  ;  an  Indian  story,  I  think." 

"  O  Jack  !  "  said  Gertrude.  "  Let's  have  a  nice  quiet  one, 
that  a  body  can  sleep  after." 

"  Gertrude,"  said  Jack  briefly  and  authoritatively,  "  I  am 
ashamed  of  you.  It  is  very  rude,  when  Mr.  Longwood  offers  to 
tell  us  an  Indian  story,  for  you  to  object." 

So  Gertrude,  finding  that  no  one  would  take  her  part,  meekly 
subsided,  and  Mr.  Longwood  began  :  — 

"  If  you  want  an  Indian  story,"  he  said,  "  I  can  tell  you  a 
little  bit  of  history,  the  scene  of  which  was  around  about  New 
London,  where  we  were  yesterday.  In  the  early  days  of  the 
country  a  savage  tribe,  the  Pequots,  lived  there,  and  the  harbor 
was  known  as  Pequot  Harbor.  At  the  time  I  am  about  to  tell 
you  of,  this  tribe  had  become  most  troublesome.     They  had  fallen 


222 


TWO  CAPTAINS  ARE  KILLED. 


upon  two  captains,  who  had  ventured  up  the  Connecticut  to 
trade,  and,  taking  them  unexpectedly,  had  killed  them  and  their 
entire  crews.  Off  Block  Island,  too,  they  had  murdered  Capt. 
Oldham.  The  colonists  were  alarmed.  Something  must  be  done, 
or  they  would  be  all  slaughtered.    No  man's  life  would  be  safe 

 for  a  minute,  un- 

^^v^Kwifj  less  tne  Indians 
were  taught  some 
severe  lesson. 
So  an  expedition 
was  sent  out 
from  Massachu- 
setts, which 
sailed  along  the 
coast,  and  burned 
|JjPj  a  few  wigwams, 
and  destroyed  a 
little  corn,  but 
succeeded  in  do- 
ing nothing  more 
than  arousing  the 
savages  to  a  pitch 
of  fury. 

"  As  soon 
as  the  backs  of 

their  invaders  were  turned,  they  fell  upon  all  the  settlers  on  the 
Connecticut.  Their  pow-wows,  or  medicine-men,  assured  them 
that  they  should  soon  drive  out  every  Englishman  from  the  land. 


INDIAN  POW-WOWS. 


THE  FATE  OF  TILLY. 


223 


A  sorry  time  the  poor  wretches  had  of  it.  They  had  prayed  for 
a  force  that  should  teach  the  red  men  a  lesson  of  the  white 
man's  strength.  Instead,  their  troubles  had  been  only  increased. 
'  You,'  said  one  of  these  settlers  derisively  to  the  commander 
of  this  fiasco,  '  will  keep  yourselves  safe  in  the  bay,  but  myself 
you  will  leave  at  the  stake  to  be  roasted.' 


TILLY  SURPRISED  BY  THE  INDIANS. 


"  Sorry  times  followed.  Not  a  day  passed  without  some  one 
falling  a  victim.  Many  were  the  hairbreadth  escapes.  No  man 
went  to  the  field  without  having  his  rifle  within  reach.  The 
settlers  fought  desperately  ;  for  it  was  better  to  be  killed  outright 
than  made  prisoner,  for  the  captives  were  tortured  frightfully. 
One  Tilly,  for  instance,  was  taken  when  he  was  out  in  a  canoe, 


224 


THE  SAVAGES  ARE  HAPPY. 


hunting.  He  made  a  hard  fight  for  liberty,  but  was  unsuccessful. 
Determined  that  they  should  not  make  him  wince  at  any  pain 
they  might  inllict,  he:  sat  grimly,  without  moving  a  muscle,  while 
they  cut  off  his  hands,  and  then  his  feet,  and  so  killed  him  by 
inches. 

"  Of  course  this  state  of  things  could  not  continue.  Those 
who  were  not  killed  outright  would  soon  have  to  fight  '  Capt. 
Hunger  ;  '  for  no  fields  could  be  tilled,  and  the  cattle  were  slain 
by  the  hundred.  So  an  expedition  set  out  from  Connecticut,  an 
army  of  ninety  men.  under  the  command  of  Capt.  John  Mason. 
Their  orders  were  to  sail  along  the  coast  until  they  came  to 
Pequot  Harbor.  There  they  were  to  make  a  landing,  and  attack 
the  foe.  Capt.  .Mason  did  not  like  this  plan  at  all.  The  Pequots 
would  know  ot  their  coming,  and  could  watch  every  movement 
they  made.  lie  proposed  that  they  should  sail  by  the  harbor, 
on  to  Narragaiw-u  Bay,  and  by  forced  marches  reach  their  forts, 
and  attack  them,  as  it  were,  in  the  rear. 

"  The  other  officers  of  the  fleet  disagreed  with  their  captain. 
They  thought  they  had  much  better  follow  their  instructions.  In 
this  juncture  the  chaplain  of  the  fleet  was  summoned,  and  bade 
to  spend  the  night  in  prayer,  that  they  might  decide  wisely.  He 
did  so,  and  in  the  morning  reported  in  favor  of  Capt.  Mason's 
plan. 

"  So  the  fleet  sailed  past  Pequot  Harbor,  and  the  watching 
savages  saw  it  depart  with  joy.  Once  again  their  prowess  had 
frightened  away  their  foe,  and  they  returned  to  carouse  and 
dance  in  triumph  in  their  villages. 

"  Meantime  Mason  was  sailing  onward.    Uncas,  chief  of  the 


A   RACK  FOR  LIFE 

Moneeans,  had  joined  him  with  a  band  of  warriors  eager  to  right 


226 


UNCAS  TAKES  THE  WAR-PATH. 


against  heir  old  enemies.  They  landed  in  the  country  of  the 
Narragansetts,  and  marched  at  once  to  their  chief  fort,  where 
they  stated  the  business  on  which  they  had  come.  The  Narra- 
gansetts, while  they  highly  approved  of  the  plan  of  the  whites, 
doubted  much  if  so  small  a  party  could  stand  for  a  moment 
against  such  terrible  fighters  as  the  Pequots.  However,  they 
said  they  would  go  along,  and  take  a  hand  in  the  fray. 

"  The  next  day  the  little  army,  with  its  following  of  Mohegans 
and  Narragansetts,  marched  twenty  miles  to  a  place  called  Nyan- 
tick,  where  lived  Ninigret,  another  Narragansett  sachem." 

"  Why,  that  is  the  name  of  the  man  who  made  things  so  hot 
for  the  Montauks,  as  Capt.  Jackson  said,"  excLl-ned  Jack. 

"It  is  the  same  fellow,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  He  was  a 
great  nuisance  to  the  English  for  many  years.  Capt.  Mason 
found  him  so  surly,  that  he  distrusted  him  at  once,  and  suspected 
that  he  intended  sending  word  to  the  enemy  of  his  approach. 
That  night  he  stationed  guards  about  his  fort,  and  gave  him 
notice  that  any  of  his  men  who  left  it,  did  it  at  the  peril  of 
their  lives." 

"  That  was  a  high-handed  proceeding,  at  all  events,"  said 
Will. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  it  seems  to  us,  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, the  height  of  effrontery  ;  but  Capt.  Mason  was  not 
one  to  stop  at  any  obstacle,  after  he  had  gone  through  so  much. 
And  the  morning  showed  that  he  did  wisely  ;  for  many  of  the 
warriors  then  announced  their  intention  of  joining  him,  and  they 
danced  a  war-dance  before  starting,  with  great  vigor  and  zest 

"  At  last  the  Pequot  country  was  reached.    Their  great  lort 


SEVEN  HUNDRED  WARRIORS. 


227 


was  close  at  hand.  It  was  strongly  stockaded,  and  in  it  were 
some  seven  hundred  warriors,  with  their  wives  and  children.  The 
invaders  as,  close  at  hand,  they  nearly  held  their  breaths  for  fear 
of  discovery,  could  hear  them  chanting  of  their  prowess,  and  of 
the  English  scalps  they  had  taken. 

"  All  night  long  they  waited,  till  the  gray  dawn  came.  The 
noisy  Pequots  were  now  deep  in  sleep.  Mason  summoned  his 
Indian  allies,  but  they  were  not  to  be  found.  The  nearness  of 
the  dreaded  Pequots  had  filled  them  with  terror.  He  sent  them 
word  to  look  on,  and  see  how  Englishmen  could  fight. 

"  The  fort  had  an  entrance  at  either  end.  The  invaders 
divided  their  force,  and  made  their  way  in.  The  enclosure  was 
full  of  wigwams,  behind  which  the  suddenly-roused  warriors 
took  refuge,  pouring  in  a  shower  of  arrows  on  their  foe.  Seeing 
that  this  would  soon  prove  a  losing  game,  Mason  caught  up  a 
firebrand,  and,  thrusting  it  into  the  mats  and  straw  which  lay 
about,  cried  out  to  burn  them  out.  The  light  wind  fanned  the 
flames,  and  in  a  few  moments  the  whole  fort  was  in  a  blaze. 
The  English  made  their  way  out,  and,  forming  a  circle  about  it, 
cut  down  every  soul  that  attempted  to  escape.  If,  perchance, 
one  more  fortunate  than  the  rest  passed  them,  he  fell  before 
the  tomahawks  of  the  Mohegans  and  Narragansetts,  whose  cour- 
age had  somewhat  returned,  and  who  hung  on  the  outskirts, 
cutting  down  every  flying  survivor. 

"  The  Indians  had  at  last  received  a  lesson.  Ninety  men  had 
put  to  the  sword  nearly  seven  hundred  of  their  greatest  warriors. 
The  power  of  the  Pequots  was  broken  forever. 

"  The  position  of  the  victors,  though,  was  by  no  means  pleas- 


228 


JACK  IS  BLOODTHIRSTILY  INCLINED. 


ant.  They  were  miles  inland  ;  many  were  wounded.  They  had 
almost  no  provisions;  and  another  body  of  Pequot  warriors,  some 
three  hundred  in  number,  who  had  been  at  another  fort,  learning 
the  fate  of  their  brethren,  followed  them,  mad  with  rage.  Vic- 
tors though  they  were,  it  was  a  joyful  moment  when  from  a 
hilltop  they  saw  New  London  Harbor  in  the  distance,  with  their 
ships,  that  they  had  ordered  to  meet  them  there,  awaiting  them." 

"  It's  a  pity  they  didn't  go  back,  and  wipe  out  those  other 
three  hundred  Pequots,  when  they  had  their  hand  in,"  said  Jack 
bloodthirstily. 

"  These  poor  wretches  met  their  end  soon  enough,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood.  "Another  expedition  destroyed  many;  and  the  Mo- 
hegans  and  Narragansetts,  now  grown  bold,  hunted  them  up  and 
down  the  country,  till  the  miserable  remnant  came  to  the  English, 
and  besought  protection.  Make  them  but  secure  of  their  lives, 
and  they  asked  no  more.    To  such  desperation  had  they  come." 

"  And  what  became  of  them  ?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  They  were  divided  up.  Uncas,  the  sachem  of  the  Mohe- 
gans,  took  a  hundred  ;  Miantonimoh,  sachem  of  the  Narragan- 
setts, took  eighty ;  and  your  old  friend  Ninigret  was  given  twenty. 
He  had,  however,  as  usual,  been  making  trouble;  and  he  was  not 
allowed  to  have  his  men  until  he  had  made  satisfaction  for  the 
mare  of  one  Pomeroye,  which  he  or  his  men  had  killed." 

"  What  did  they  do  with  them  ?  "  asked  Ned.  "  Put  them  to 
death  ? " 

"  Oh,  no !  they  adopted  them  into  their  tribe.  They  ceased 
to  be  Pequots,  and  became  Mohegans  and  Narragansetts,  —  though 
I  do  not  imagine  that  they  had  the  foremost  seats  in  the  council, 
nor,  indeed,  that  life  was  made  very  sweet  to  them." 


DEAD  MEN  TELL  NO  TALES. 


231 


"  Go  on,"  said  Jack,  as  Mr.  Longwood  paused. 

"  Why,  I  think  I  have  made  a  pretty  thorough  ending  of  the 
Pequots,"  said  that  gentleman. 

"  Yes,"  said  Jack  ;  "  but  of  course  the  Mohegans  and  Narra- 
gansetts  fought." 

"  They  did,  indeed,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  When  the  Pequots 
were  out  of  the  way,  Miantonimoh  aspired  to  be  the  sachem  of 
all  the  tribes  about.  There  was  but  one  obstacle  to  his  plans, 
and  that  was  Uncas.  He  had  made  a  formal  treaty  of  friendship 
with  him,  after  the  fall  of  their  common  enemy.  But  this  he 
treacherously  ignored.  He  hired  one  of  Uncas's  captive  Pequots 
to  shoot  him.  The  man,  watching  his  chance,  fired,  and  shot 
him  through  the  arm.  Then,  making  his  way  to  the  Narragan- 
setts,  he  boasted  that  he  had  killed  his  chief. 

"  Presently,  however,  Uncas  turned  up  as  well  as  ever.  This 
was  unexpected.  Miantonimoh,  finding  that  his  doings  were 
somewhat  known,  quietly  knocked  the  Pequot  on  the  head,  on 
the  principle  that  dead  men  tell  no  tales.  It  was  too  late,  how- 
ever :  his  treachery  was  evident. 

"  Presently  he  made  another  attempt.  As  Uncas  was  going 
down  the  Connecticut,  Miantonimoh  tried  to  shoot  him.  This 
attempt,  too,  failed,  as  the  first  had  done. 

"  Then  he  raised  an  army  of  a  thousand  warriors,  and  made 
all  his  plans  to  fall  upon  his  enemy  when  he  did  not  expect 
him.  Uncas  had  warning  from  his  scouts,  not  a  moment  too 
soon.  He  summoned  half  a  thousand  of  his  bravest  men,  all 
that  he  could  gather  in  that  short  time,  and  marched  forward  to 
meet  his  foe.  There  is  a  good  account  of  this  battle  by  an  old 
historian,  which  is  something  like  this  :  — 


232 


A  PAGE  OF  HISTORY. 


1  «  <  when  they  had  advanced  within  fair  bow-shot  of  each  other,  Uncas  had 
recourse  to  a  stratagem  with  which  he  had  previously  acquainted  his  warriors.  He 
desired  a  parley ;  and  both  armies  halted  in  the  face  of  each  other.  Uncas,  gal- 
lantly advancing  in  front  of  his  men,  addressed  Miantonimoh  to  this  effect :  "  You 
have  a  number  of  stout  men  with  you,  and  so  have  I  with  me.  It  is  a  great  pity- 
that  such  brave  warriors  should  be  killed  in  a  private  quarrel  between  us  only. 
Come,  like  a  man  as  you  profess  to  be,  and  let  us  fight  it  out.  If  you  kill  me, 
my  men  shall  be  yours ;  but  if  I  kill  you,  your  men  shall  be  mine." 

" '  Miantonimoh  replied :  "  My  men  came  to  fight :  and  they  shall  fight." 
Uncas  falling  instantly  upon  the  ground,  his  men  discharged  a  shower  of  arrows 
upon  the  Narragansetts,  and,  without  a  moment's  interval,  rushing  upon  them  in  a 
furious  manner,  with  their  hideous  Indian  yell,  put  them  immediately  to  flight. 
The  Mohegans  pursued  the  enemy  with  the  same  fury  and  eagerness  with  which 
they  commenced  the  action.  The  Narragansetts  were  driven  down  rocks  and 
precipices,  and  chased  like  a  doe  by  the  huntsman.  Among  others,  Miantonimoh 
was  exceedingly  pressed.  Some  of  Uncas's  bravest  men,  who  were  most  light  of 
foot,  coming  up  with  him,  twitched  him  back,  impeding  his  flight,  and  passed  him, 
that  Uncas  might  take  him. 

" '  Uncas  was  a  stout  man,  and,  reaching  forward  like  a  lion  greedy  of  his 
prey,  seized  him  by  his  shoulder.  He  knew  Uncas,  and  saw  that  he  was  now  in 
the  power  of  the  man  whom  he  had  hated  and  by  all  means  attempted  to  destroy ; 
but  he  sat  down  sullen,  and  spoke  not  a  word.  Uncas  gave  the  Indian  whoop, 
and  called  up  his  men  who  were  behind,  to  his  assistance.  The  victory  was  com- 
plete.   About  thirty  of  the  Narragansetts  were  slain,  and  many  more  wounded. 

"  '  Miantonimoh  made  no  request,  either  for  himself  or  his  men,,  but  continued 
in  the  same  sullen,  speechless  mood.  Uncas  therefore  demanded  of  him  why  he 
would  not  speak.  Said  he,  "  Had  you  taken  me,  I  should  have  besought  you  for 
my  life."  '  " 

"  And  now  I  suppose,"  said  Jack,  "  that  he  lopped  off  his 
head." 

1  We  are  again  indebted  to  Tom  Longwood,  who  has  copied  the  extract  for  us  from  the 
book  in  his  father's  library,  so  that  we  can  give  it  as  it  was  written. 


DEATH  OF  MIANTONIMOH. 


i' 


UNCAS  KILLS  HIS  ENEMY. 


235 


"  You  are  in  rather  too  much  of  a  hurry,"  said  Mr.  Long- 
wood.  "  He  did  not  quite  dare  to  do  it  off-hand,  for  fear  that 
the  English  might  not  approve  ;  though  he  longed,  in  his  savage 
way,  for  his  death.  So  he  carried  the  speechless  sachem  to 
Hartford,  where  his  case  was  laid  before  the  authorities.  They 
decided,  in  their  solemn  way,  that  Miantonimoh  should  be  delivered 
over  to  him,  because  he  had  repeatedly  tried  to  kill  him,  and 
because  Uncas  could  never  be  safe  as  long  as  his  enemy  was 
alive. 

"  So  Uncas,  with  some  of  his  trustiest  braves,  was  summoned 
to  Hartford,  where  they  took  their  prisoner,  and  departed.  The 
authorities  knew,  of  course,  that  the  Narragansett  would  be 
killed ;  and  so  they  sent  two  white  men  along,  to  see  that  no 
tortures  were  inflicted.  In  single  file  they  strode  away.  Sud- 
denly, at  a  sign  from  his  leader,  the  man  who  was  directly 
behind  Miantonimoh,  raised  his  hatchet,  and,  at  a  single  blow, 
split  his  skull.  Without  a  groan,  he  fell  prostrate  ;  and  his  sav- 
age captor,  cutting  a  large  piece  from  his  shoulder,  ate  it, 
exclaiming  that  '  it  was  the  sweetest  meat  he  ever  ate  :  it  made 
his  heart  strong. '  " 

"  What  an  old  villain  !  "  exclaimed  Gertrude.  "  Jack,  how  can 
you  want  to  hear  such  awful  stories  ?  " 

"  I  think  they  are  splendid,"  said  Jack.  "  Go  on,  please,  Mr. 
Longwood.    I  am  sure  there  is  something  to  tell  about  Ninigret." 

"  Nothing  in  especial,  that  I  know  of,"  said  that  gentleman, 
"  except  that  he  was  a  dreadful  nuisance  all  his  days.  For  two 
seasons  the  Connecticut  Colony  had  to  keep  an  armed  vessel 
cruising  between  Montauk  and  Block  Island,  to  prevent  his 
making  incursions  on  the  Long-Island  Indians." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


"  Well,"  said  Tom, 
after  a  little,  as  they  sat 
about,  chatting  idly,  "  to- 
morrow we  start  for 
home.  Our  jig  is  nearly- 
danced  out." 

"  That's  a  capital  idea," 
said  Ned,  starting  up. 
"  What  ?  "  said  Tom. 
"  A  jig,"  answered 
Ned.  "  Why  shouldn't 
we  all  go  out  to  the  barn, 
and  have  a  Virginia  reel  ? 
We  can  hang  up  some 
lanterns  to  light  it.  We  will  just  sit  here  stupidly,  if  we  don't, 
for  an  hour ;  and  then  you  girls  will  politely  try  to  stifle  your 
yawns,  and  go  off  to  bed." 

"  But  what  shall  we  do  for  music  ?  "  asked  the  o-irls. 
"  Listen,"  said  Ned,  holding  up  his  hand. 

They  all  stopped  talking,  and  at  once  the  sound  of  an  old 

fiddle  in  the  kitchen  became  audible.    It  was  squeaking  out  with 
236 


'an.  ' 


GABRIL,  COME  BLOW  DE  HORN. 


237 


great  vigor,  "  Gabril,  come  blow  de  horn,"  and  involuntarily  the 
boys'  and  girls'  feet  all  began  to  beat  time  to  the  music. 

Ned  made  haste  to  secure  the  services  of  the  fiddler,  who 
was  nothing  loath  to  give  his  services  to  secure  a  little  jollifica- 
tion. The  cattle-keeper  produced  three  lanterns,  and  went  him-^ 
self  to  hang  them  up,  so  as  to  see  that  his  barn  was  not  set 
on  fire  by  inexperienced  hands.  For  an  hour  or  two  the  old 
building  resounded  with  peals  of  merriment,  and  the  fiddle 
squeaked  almost  without  cessation.  Then,  at  the  same  moment, 
Mr.  Longwood  announced  that  they  must  turn  in  for  the  night, 
and  the  fiddler  announced  that  his  arm  had  given  out. 

"  What  a  shame  it  is  that  our  good  time  is  over  !  "  said  Tom. 

"  Let  us  hope  that  it  will  rain  pitchforks  to-morrow,"  said 
Jack  ;   "  and  then  we  can't  get  away." 

"  No  hope  of  that,  I  reckon,"  said  the  cattle-keeper  morosely, 
—  he  would  have  liked  to  have  had  them  stay  on  indefinitely,  — 
"  the  wind  is  sou'-west.    We'll  have  a  fine  day,  'thout  a  doubt." 

And  so  it  turned  out  ;  for  the  next  morning,  when,  after  a 
hearty  breakfast,  the  big  wagon  was  loaded  with  the  girls,  and 
the  boys  made  ready  to  tramp  across  to  "  The  Mavis,"  the  moors 
were  everywhere  glistening  with  dew,  which  the  rising  sun 
turned  into  drops  of  gold  and  fire.  The  sea  was  bluer  than  the 
sky  above  it.  The  fresh  wind  came  softly,  laden  with  odors  from 
the  moorlands,  —  odors  which  it  would  carry  many  a  mile  out  to 
sea,  to  gladden  the  incoming  mariner,  —  Nature's  cry  of  "  Land 
ho!" 


The  1st  of  October  had  arrived.    The  hands  of  the  clock  in 


238 


HOW  DO  YOU  DO,  FELLOWS? 


the  steeple  of  the  church  close  by  pointed  to  five  minutes  of 
nine.  Around  the  door  of  Mr.  Grinder's  select  school,  at  No. 
2,000  Madison  Avenue,  stood  a  large  group  of  boys,  busily 
talking.  Nearly  all  of  them  were  tanned  from  the  sun,  though 
here  and  there  a  white  face  told  of  a  summer  in  the  hot  city. 
But  five  were  especially  brown.  They  looked  almost  copper- 
colored.  They  were  the  centre  of  an  admiring  group,  who  were 
plying  them  with  questions,  and  regarding  them  with  envious 
eyes. 

"  Well,  fellows,"  said  Will,  "  the  clock  has  almost  reached  the 
hour.  We  had  better  go  up  and  say  '  How  do  you  do  ? '  to  our 
revered  instructor.    Come  on." 

So  the  whole  group  broke  up,  and  tramped  noisily  up  the 
winding'  stairs. 

The  room  was  a  large  one.  In  the  centre,  against  the  wall, 
was  Mr.  Grinder's  desk,  and  beside  it,  on  either  hand,  were  two 
lonof  benches  on  which  the  classes  sat  to  recite.  All  the  rest  of 
the  room  was  filled  with  rows  of  desks. 

The  boys  walked  toward  Mr.  Grinder.  He  was  at  that  mo- 
ment listening  to  a  pale-faced,  lantern-jawed  young  man,  whom 
they  heard  say,  "  Yes,  sir :  I  have  translated  twenty  pages  of 
Sallust,  and  I  have  made  corresponding  progress  in  my  other 
studies." 

"  It  gives  me  great  pleasure,  Master  Jones,"  Mr.  Grinder 
replied,  "  to  hear  of  such  commendable  assiduity  in  study.  A 
like  energy  shown  in  the  affairs  of  after-life  will  be  sure  to 
secure  you  a  position  of  mark.  Here  are  some  of  your  class- 
mates.   I  hope  we  may  hear  an  equally  good  report  from  them. 


MULTIPLICATION  IS  VEXATION. 


239 


Ah  !  Morgan  primus,  and  secundus,  and  Longwood,  how  do  you 
do  ?    Your  classmate,  Timothy  Jones,  here,  tells  me  "  — 

But  at  this  moment  the  clock  struck  nine,  and  Mr.  Grinder 
broke  off  abruptly,  to  call  the  school  to  order,  and  the  boys 
made  haste  to  gain  their  desks  before  any  awkward  questions 
should  be  asked. 

As  soon  as  the  roll  had  been  called,  Mr.  Grinder  opened  the 
school,  as  usual,  with  prayer.  All  listened  reverently;  though  I 
must  confess  that  there  was  a  little  smile  on  more  than  one 
face,  when  he  returned  thanks  that  this  separation,  alike  painful 
to  instructor  and  scholar,  was  over. 

Then  he  called,  "  The  first  Latin." 

This  was  the  name  of  a  class.  Timothy  Jones,  the  lantern- 
jawed  boy,  came  forward  at  once.  Tom,  the  two  Morgans,  Ned 
Grant,  and  one  or  two  other  boys,  followed  more  slowly. 

"  I  presume,"  said  Mr.  Grinder,  "  that  your  parents  all  received 
the  circular  which  I  sent,  informing  them  of  the  cause  of  the 
untoward  postponement  of  the  opening  of  the  school,  and  sug- 
gesting that  you  should  make  up  the  loss  by  home  study.  I  am 
glad  to  know  that  at  least  one  of  you,  and,  I  have  no  doubt, 
all,  have  followed  my  suggestion." 

But  somehow,  as  his  glance  rested  on  the  sunburned  counte- 
nances of  our  four  friends,  his  voice  seemed  to  lose  a  little  of 
the  confident  tone  that  it  had  when  he  began. 

"  Jones,  here,"  he  went  on,  "  tells  me  that  he  has  read  twenty 
pages.  Perhaps  he  has  gone  farther  than  others  of  you.  Mor- 
gan primus,  you  may  begin  at  the  first  paragraph  on  page  8. 
We  will  consider  this  first  recitation  somewhat  in  the  nature  of 
a  review  of  your  home  study." 


240 


HASTINGS  IS  MARKED  FOR  MISCONDUCT. 


Will  opened  the  book,  and  looked  at  it  hopelessly. 
"  I  have  not  been  able  to  do  any  thing  at  my  studies  at  all, 
sir,"  he  said. 

Mr.  Grinder  looked  sober. 
"  Longwood,  you  may  try  it." 

Tom  made  haste  to  avow  his  innocence  of  any  home  study. 
Mr.  Grinder  looked  solemn. 

At  this  moment  a  half-suppressed  chuckle  was  distinctly  audi- 
ble. It  came  from  a  distant  corner  of  the  room,  where  Jack 
was  watching  with  glee  the  discomfiture  of  his  cronies. 

Mr.  Grinder  looked  up,  and  caught  him. 
"  Hastings,"  he   said    severely,   "  I    am  truly   sorry  that  you 
should  begin,  thus  early  in  the  session,  to  merit  reproof.    I  give 
you  one  mark  for  misconduct." 

Jack  subsided. 

"  How  many  of  this  class,"  said  Mr.  Grinder,  returning  to  the 
subject  in  hand,  "  have  done  any  study  whatever,  on  their  Latin  ? 
Let  them  raise  their  hands." 

Timothy  Jones's  hand  went  up.    No  other  kept  it  company. 

"It  is  as  I  feared,"  said  Mr.  Grinder  with  great  severity. 
"  When  you  get  to  be  men,  young  gentlemen,  you  will  look 
back,  and  regret  in  sackcloth  and  ashes  these  wasted  opportuni- 
ties. To  your  desks  !  It  will  take  persistent  application  to  make 
up  for  these  two  weeks  of  idleness." 


THE*  END. 


